Fate:Reset Chains
by ZafkielRagnarov
Summary: With the Royal selection underway, the council of Wise Old Men deemed it fit to pit the candidates against each other to determine the rightful ruler of Lugnica. Using a completely new system to them, the candidates of this world are about to experience a new trial where the stakes are at their absolute highest.
1. Chapter 1

The royal selection process had begun its course in the Kingdom of Lugnica. And just like that, the royal court had drawn the five candidates together with one coming out on top to succeed the previous lineage.

Tensions were high and tempers swayed across the room as each candidate had their own hidden agenda when they came to power. It was all about gathering as much support from the people and looking legit.

Unfortunately, the council of wise old men had a different idea. Rather than relying on the populous to vote in their new leader, a brilliant idea had been hatched to determine which candidate was fit for the throne once and for all.

There was the common schema that the strong ruled over the weak, and that's what the council came up with. After all, once a candidate had entered the race to become the next ruler, they knew the risks that would be imposed upon their lives.

"Order in the court!" Miklotov barked as he smacked the mallet a few times.

The loud overlapping voices in the room were suddenly quelled, and just like that, all eyes were on him. The man himself looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days and his face reflected that.

"The council has decided the best course of action in selecting the next ruler. Before I proceed, need I remind the candidates the dangers you all signed up for. Therefore, please do not hold any ill grudges against us." The man made his peace before gaining approval from the rest of the members to continue.

Shuffling about in his decorated robes, Miklotov moved to the front and presented himself well. Extending his arms forward, he began delegating the instructions for this new event. "Heed me future rulers, for this new journey you are about to undertake will be your hardest trial yet," He cleared his throat before continuing. "To decide the Empire's next ruler, all five royal candidates will participate in a battle royale for the throne. Candidates will be fighting this war using summoned Heroic Spirits. Participants may choose to fight along side their summons or use them as pawns. Either way, a player is officially removed from the game if they lose their Heroic Spirit or are personally killed." His tone emphasized that last part.

Gasps and concerned stares were given by almost everyone in the room as the words reached their ears. Was this what the council came up with? To use a battle royale to determine who the next ruler will be?

The art of summoning was not unheard of in the Kingdom, let alone the concept of using summons to fight your battles was common practice for some. The assumption of using Heroic Spirits in the form of Beats was what came to the minds of the royal candidates the moment Miklotov talked about using summons.

Miklotov merely ignored the gazes and continued talking. "Blood will be spilt, even without this method we are all aware that the five candidates will be duking it out with each other to gain the upper hand over each other. But this has been deemed the better approach in determining our next ruler. The people of Lugnica wish to see a strong ruler take the throne, the winner who comes out on top of this will surely be worthy of ruling Lugnica then!"

"Eh?! You can't be serious now can you?!" Anastasia Hoshin said in a bewildered tone.

"Is there a problem Miss Hoshin? Are you perhaps considering withdrawing from the race?" Miklotov casted a doubtful gaze over her.

"Don't get ahead of yourself old man!" The leader of the Hoshin Trading Company quickly shot back. "I find it irritating that we have to delay the royal selection even further by playing this stupid battle royale game. But since you want entertainment, I shall play along this once."

"Fools, I can already see the cards aligning in my favour. My Heroic Spirit will crush all of yours!" Priscilla Barielle folded her fan while declaring in a haughty tone.

"As if you can predict the future Priscilla, try saying that to a mirror next time okay?" Crusch Karsten casually flung her words towards her rival.

"!...Why you!..." Priscilla snarled at the woman.

"Enough!" Miklotov barked, silencing the dispute. "As much as I would like you all to begin duking it out with each other, I have one last set of instructions to bestow upon you all. Only then can war for the throne formally begin."

With a silent nod from the elder, five generic palace guards strode up towards the Royal candidates and held a sealed box in front of them. The box itself was well decorated, indicating it was of Imperial origin with the wax seal and parchments that lined it.

As the five candidates accepted the mysterious gift, the guards who delivered it promptly made themselves scare and allowed Miklotov to continue his speech. "You are probably wondering what is within those boxes. To sate your curiosity, they hold the instructions into summoning your personal Heroic Spirit. You may begin your summons once you return to your respective domains or households. There will be a 24-hour hiatus before the actual war begins. How you use this time is up to you. To conclude, I bid you all good luck in this war, may the best winner come out on top. The fate of Lugnica rests on your shoulders, go forth, and fight!" His final words sent them off valiantly.

With that, the delegation of instructions was over, returning to his seat, the meeting had been officially concluded. While many questions had been raised, only a few had been answered, and it left a sour taste in a lot of mouths.

One by one, each of the royal candidates left the royal court slowly in arms with their respective knights and attendants. The first to leave was Anastasia Hoshin, eager to start her summon and begin preparing for the ensuing chaos that was about to unfold.

The next to follow was Priscilla Barielle, in tow with her strange Knight. Even after being berated by Crusch, she still wore a smug look on her face, like she truly believed the stars will align in her favour.

That left Crusch, Emilia and Felt still remaining in the room. However, Crusch quickly made haste with her Knight Ferris and disappeared from the area. Clearly a plan was forming in her head as it was clearly written all over her face.

"Shall we make haste towards the mansion Emilia? I will use teleportation magic to get us there instantly so you can prepare whatever it is you need." Her supporter, Roswaal L Mathers suggested in a low calm voice.

"Let's go, we'll collect Subaru and Rem and begin preparations." Emilia agreed with a nod, albeit her tone can be compared to that of a sad child.

As the Emilia camp made themselves scarce, that left Felt by herself in the court. Still clutching the mysterious box, she had waves of information flowing through her brain that it was hard to process everything at once.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned her attention to the source and saw a familiar, yet one she despised, face. "Don't worry your highness, I already swore an oath to protect you." The Knight smiled.

"Have I told you that I hate that smile of yours?" She wore an annoyed look on her face, the fact she was stuck in this stupid dress added to the already burning hatred flame.

"I am aware of that Princess Felt. But we have more important matters to discuss, what do you think is our next course of action? Shall we begin summoning your Heroic Spirit?" He asked her like an obedient dog.

"While I really want to stomp your face in, I can't argue with you there. Since everyone is deadest on summoning this stupid Heroic Spirit, I guess I'll play along and see what I get. Who knows, maybe lady luck might grace me and give me a strong Hero!" Felt declared.

"Oh, I bet she will your Highness. Just you see!" Reinhard wore his confident smile as usual.

* * *

"How is Subaru, Rem?" Emilia asked the girl.

"His vitals seem to be stable, other than that, I've done my best to patch up his wounds. Although I should thank your healing magic Lady Emilia. It really helped Subaru pull through." Rem said truthfully.

Emilia merely let out a tired sigh, "I just don't get this boy, really. I asked him to stay still just this once and he runs off and does his own thing. Now he's all hurt, and I feel responsible for that." A small gut-wrenching pain rippled through her abdomen; it really shook her to the core.

Rem could only put on a silent smile. "I'm sure Subaru did everything in his best interest for you. Although he can be reckless at most times when executing it." A small giggle escaped her mouth.

"I hate to interrupt our small speech ladies. But time is of the essence. Are we ready to depart?" Roswaal abruptly interrupted them.

"Of course, Lord Roswaal. Please be gentle with Subaru, we wouldn't want to startle him now would we?" Emilia requested politely.

"Fret not dear Emilia, I will make sure the ride will be as smooth as possible." A cheeky grin spread across the lord's face.

Raising both his hands, magical circles appeared in them and let loose a wave of magical energy. As a large teleportation circle enveloped the room, the necessary cargo had been tagged and the destination was set. With that, Lord Roswaal snapped his fingers and the wave of magical energy that appeared earlier engulfed all occupants in the room.

In a split blinding flash of light, the room had been emptied completely. What would've been a two day journey was completed in mere seconds. Rarely would teleportation be used, but in this case, it was a important matter that needed to be resolved.

As the group appeared outside the Roswaal mansion, Ram immediately sensed their arrival and made haste to greet them. As Subaru lay on the grass still passed out, Rem carefully lifted him up, ready to transport him.

"Now then, let's get this whole summoning bull crap over and done. Rem, make sure Subaru is comfortable and after that, you and your sister will help Emilia prepare for the ritual. I will be in my office overseeing some important matters. Call me when things are done." The man said with a sharp tongue before making his way towards the door.

As the wooden doors caved inwards, a pink haired girl in maid overalls bowed deeply to greet him. "Welcome back Lord Roswaal."

"Good job on keeping the place safe Ram. Keep up the good work, resume your usual duties. I'll be in my office if you need me." He said before leaving her to her own devices.

"Ram, Ram. It seems Subaru has managed to knock himself out again." Rem opened up with that line as she saw her sister.

"As expected of Subaru, I will be amazed if he returns to the house one day unscathed and not knocked out." Ram sighed with a disappointed look on her face. It was as if she expected such a thing.

"I'll be leaving Subaru in your care Rem." Emilia smiled warmly before going in the opposite direction.

Walking down the hallway, the silver haired elf girl entered her quarters and placed the mysterious box on her desk. Letting out a tired sigh, she puffed her cheeks together as a means of energizing herself. "Come on Emilia, its like Miklotov said, the fate of Lugnica now rests' on your shoulders!"

"_You nervous?" _Puck's voice chimed in her head.

"_Of course I'd be! I never expected the council to come up with such a dubious way into deciding who will rule Lugnica next. The fact I will have to be fighting for my life means everything is at stake here!" _Emilia told the Spirit.

"_Well, while I have no control of the world's politics, I will still follow through with your decisions. I'll be there every step of the way!" _Puck assured her.

"_I'm glad to hear that, I'm going to need to all the help I can get if I want to make it through this war."_ She said. "Now then, let's begin our ritual. Miklotov said this box has the instructions to summoning my own Heroic Spirit. Before that, I need a wide-open space to do this."

Picking the box up again, she exited the room and began making her way around the mansion. Being such a large structure, there was bound to be a few rooms or halls that was large enough to accommodate this ritual.

Sure enough, there was one room large enough that it was perfect to hold a summoning ritual within its walls. Perhaps Lord Roswaal foresaw such a need for a big room. Maybe he really enjoys large open rooms.

Pushing the doors open to the large area, cold winds blew past the girl as the room let out a small groan, as if it were alive. Seeing that this was enough to serve her purposes, the half-elf moved to the only desk in the area and set the box down.

Flipping the gold-plated latch, it let out a smooth click as the tension had been released. Slowly raising the lid, the contents inside took Emilia by surprise. Inside was a few pieces of chalk, a few drawings of what seemed to be some sort of summoning circle, and a rolled-up parchment with writing all over it.

Curious by the contents that lay in front of her, her desire for knowledge led her to pick up the rolled-up parchment full of writing. Undoing the seal, the paper itself unfolded up to her knees, revealing a hefty sum of knowledge and instructions to carefully follow.

Absorbed by the amount of knowledge the little parchment possessed, it was impossible for the council of old wise men to have written up this sort of thing. The writing alone belonged to that of an expert well reversed in the art of summoning. Whoever this person was, he wasn't to be trifled with.

Picking up one of the detailed drawings, she compared it with the description the parchment described and found it to be 100% accurate down to every last stroke. Reading along the scroll, the words effortlessly flowed into her brain and was encoded straight away.

"Alright, I think I get the gist of things. First I need to set up the summoning circle before doing anything." Her voice bounced around the walls of the empty room; it didn't bother her since she was enjoying her time.

Snatching up the chalk provided in the box, the silver-haired girl began drawing with swift precision on the marbled floor. Holding the drawing in her hand, she carefully traced it as it was depicted on the paper.

One special thing about this chalk was it wasn't no ordinary chalk. While it had the organic white exterior, the colour it left behind was blood red. It looked like Emilia was preparing a sacrificial ritual more than anything.

As the drawing of the circle came to a close, final inspections were done to make sure it was 100% accurate as depicted by the drawing. A quick glance out the window indicated that a few hours had passed since she first began. The sun had just started to dip below the horizon, signalling the start of a new night.

"Alright, now the actual summoning can begin. What did the instruction say again?" The girl trailed off as she began reading the paper. Doing so, she failed to notice Ram and Rem had entered the room unnoticed.

"Lady Emilia, pardon our intrusion. Do you require assistance?" Ram asked diligently.

"Well, perhaps I do. Do you mind lending me a bit of your mana? I apparently need to pour it into the circle to begin the activation." She asked the two.

Without a moment of hesitation, the two maids nodded in agreement and joined the silver-haired girl in her duties. Parchment in one hand while the other was extended and aimed towards the summoning circle, the summoning had commenced.

"Now then, let's do this!" Emilia declared boldly. "Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg(?). The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate. Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill)." A wave of magical energy burst from the circle as it sprung to life. Great rifts of magical energy poured inwards and outwards, as if a new gate had been opened. "I announce. Yourself is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword. In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer! Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead. I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead. You, seven heavens clad in three word of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance-!"

With the final words closed in, fate had run its course and events had been locked in motion. The summoning circle pulsed with life, all the magical energy from the three girls surged through it. It gave of a pulsing energy, one that overflowed with power.

The next moment was a confusion one as a blinding bright light emerged from the circle. The ground shuddered in response and waves of magical energy rippled through the floor and walls that it shook the Roswaal mansion to its core.

Strong gusts of wind howled throughout the room as it pushed against the occupants within. Raising her arms to block the oncoming torrent, Emilia struggled to see past her arms as the strong winds repelled her together with the blinding light. It was chaos inside the room as the mana that poured out of the circle was enough to rejuvenate them ten times over.

"_This is bad! This amount of magical energy present shouldn't be possible! If this keeps up, I might end up blowing up half the mansion!"_ Emilia told herself as she racked her brains for a solution.

And then it was all over. The chaos that swept through the mansion had suddenly disappeared as quickly as it came. The summoning circle that had been spewing magical energy uncontrollably had died down into silence. And then the floor cracked, destroying the circle.

"Eh?!" Emilia wore a shocked look on her face. Seeing the broken circle raised so many questions inside her head. But the most important thing was that nothing seemed to have happened.

The room was still empty bar for the three girls that stood inside it. There was no one else, what was supposed to be a summoning ritual ended up yielding nothing. There was absolutely nothing to present.

"No way, did I do something wrong?! I followed the instruction step by step and yet nothing happened!" Emilia questioned herself as she went over where she went wrong.

-CRASH!-

Before any more questions could be raised, a loud muffled noise echoed throughout the mansion that it garnered the girls' attention. Seeing that the noise came from above, they all looked upwards but found nothing.

"EEEK!" A familiar masculine voice travelled around the building.

"Subaru!" Rem gasped in realisation.

"Eh? Subaru was above us?! Quick, he might be in trouble!" Emilia hastily said as she darted through the doors.

* * *

It was calm, everything was calm. Yet it was an uneasy feeling. Where was he, he wondered? It felt like he was lying on something soft, did he pass out again? These were the questions Subaru Natsuki asked himself.

Slowly opening his eyes, he was greeted by the familiar sight of a giant chandelier and a well painted ceiling. Whose house was he in? Was he at some sort of fancy inn? Moving his body slowly, it was a big mistake as everything ached like hell.

"Ack!" He groaned out in pain as he tried sitting up. Feeling the pain coursing throughout his body, many parts felt stiff as bandages had been laced around what he assumed to be bruised or cut parts. What on earth did he do to deserve this?

"Did I run into a monster or something? Who saved me? Was it Emilia-tan again?" He asked himself as he tried to remember past events.

Just as he was about to access his memories, his train of thoughts was cut short abruptly as the walls and floor of the room shook intensely. Feeling the waves ripple through, it threw objects and things that weren't secured to the ground.

"WHOAH!" He cried out in shock while clutching the bed frame for dear life. "Earthquake!"

As the rumbling kept on going, he wondered if the house had come under attack. If so, whoever was attacking the place was packing some serious punch.

Fortunately, the chaotic earthquake didn't last for long as it quickly subsided. To hell with it, this wasn't normal at all, not one bit of it was!

Pulling himself upright again, he gazed around the room and took note of the damage that besieged the room. Crystalized lamps had been toppled and shattered, mirrors had flung off their mounts and lay in broken pieces. Some chairs were on their sides but thankfully that was it.

Before the teenager could think any further a shadow enveloped him prompting him to gaze upwards and brace himself for the worst.

"EEEEEK!" He cried out before the outline of a figure landed on top of him with a hard impact.

The entire ordeal had the winds knocked completely out of him and caused even more pain to his already damaged body. To top it all off, the figure had sent the two of them crashing through the bed frame.

Laying in a destroyed bed, Subaru and the stranger lay in a makeshift crater as they tried to get their bearings straight.

Recovering from the shock, the teen regained his senses as he wanted to get to the bottom of his suffering. Feeling something soft on top of him, he gazed in front at a pair of green eyes. Paired together with the silky smooth long green hair the stranger possessed, it took him a moment to realise he was staring at a face, with that he let out another startled scream.

"Ahhh!" He croaked. "Who are you?!"

The face merely stared at back him, the expression written all over it seemed like they were about to ask the same question. As the stranger blinked a few more times, they placed her arms past Subaru to lift themselves up. While it seemed like that from up close, it looked like the stranger was asserting dominance over the poor lad.

Relieving Subaru the pain of having to carry an extra body, the stranger merely stared at him some more before finally speaking. "I suppose I should be asking you the same question. But since I appeared before you, that means you are my Master?" They nonchalantly said, although the tone of their voice could also pass that of a male or female. Staring even closely, he was conflicted with what gender he was presented with. That face could easily fool a person.

"Eh? What?!" Subaru looked onwards in awe and confusion. Was he dead? Was this person off their rockers or something?!

The stranger merely shared his confused look, they merely cocked her head to one side with curious intent in their eyes. "Is there some sort of confusion? You are my Master are you not? The command seals on the back of your hands indicate so." They pointed to his right hand.

Seeing what they were rambling on about, the confused teenager became even more confused as he saw blood shot red symbols had engraved itself onto the back of his hand. Alarmed by the sight, a small gasp escaped his mouth as he brought his hand closer to analyse the mysterious markings.

As the stranger shuffled away from him, they took a knee and bowed deeply before him. "Forgive my barbaric intrusions Master. Allow me to formally introduce myself. Servant, Lancer. Enkidu. Your call has activated me. Please use me as you see fit Master, mercy is unnecessary."

"Huh? Servant?! Master?! What?!" Was all Subaru could squeeze out of his mouth as several questions ran through his head.

"SUBARU!" A familiar voice called out from beyond the doors.

Turning to the source of the voice, the doors leading to the room suddenly burst open with full force that they were about to fall off their hinges. Taking point, Emilia held her hand up, ready to cast another wave of spells against the intruder. Flanked by Rem and Ram, the two maids bore hostile looks on their faces.

"Eh?! Emilia-tan!" Subaru blurted out loud.

"Subaru! Are you hurt?!" She asked the teen before realising the presence of a stranger in the room. "You! Identify yourself and explain why you've trespassed on Lord Roswaal's property!"

The stranger merely turned their attention towards the sudden intruding party. Giving off a beauty complex, the stranger couldn't help itself as its hair danced along together with the breeze. Deciding to entertain the strangers, it was probably for the best course.

"My name is of no concern to you. I am merely here under the orders of my Master." The stranger pointed to Subaru.

"Huh?! You know this person Subaru?!" Emilia wore a shocked look on her face.

"While I wouldn't be surprised this would be Subaru's doing, the stench of this woman is making me sick!" Rem said aggressively as she readied her Morning star.

Before anybody else could act, Enkidu swiftly darted towards Subaru with their arms outstretched. Snatching the teen up in their arms, they air stepped away from the bed and landed on the farthest side of the room.

"Subaru!" Emilia called out in shock.

"I apologise for my sudden actions," Enkidu started off calmly, a small grin appeared on their face as they eyed the three girls. "However, since you all have hostile intents towards me, I wish to de-escalate things starting now. And to the cute blue haired girl, I am not a woman." They merely smiled warmly at her.

"Huh?! You're telling me you're not a woman!?" Subaru wore a stunned look on his face as he stared at Enkidu. Truly the feminine features that was presented to him threw his judgement off.

"Not you as well Master? I mean, I don't concern myself with what gender I am. But if you wish to address me as a woman, I can alter my appearance to fit your views." Enkidu said casually.

"No, no! That won't be necessary, I prefer you the way you are right now." Subaru waved his hands in protest. "You don't mind if I refer to you by 'he' right? I just see you as more of a male now than a female." The teen asked politely.

"I don't mind, you may address me as you see fit Master." Enkidu shook his head in agreement.

"Seriously what is going here?" Emilia sighed as she wore a tired look on her face.

"Rem, Rem. Things seemed to have moved beyond our control it seems?" Ram asked her sister.

"Ram, Ram. I agree with you there." Rem said.

"It seems Subaru has dug himself another hole this time." Ram commented.


	2. Chapter 2

The caverns of the Witch Cult hideout were dimly lit and often reeked with the stench of unknown horrors. Deep within the twisted lair, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti waited patiently for the arrival of a specific person.

Emerging from the shadows, a lone figure in cultist robes carried a box with them. Bearing the imperial seal, it was the same box the Royal Candidates received earlier today. Lacking the hood, it showed the facial features of a man once he drew closer towards the Archbishop.

"Oh? Someone's here. Is that you Leo?!" Petelgeuse threw his arms up into the air happily as he twisted his body around. Tilting his head to one side, a gleeful smile formed across his face.

"Yes Archbishop, I have brought the box as requested." The dark-skinned man said as he handed the box over.

"Oooh, I quite like the smell of this one." A small chuckle escaped his mouth as he snatched the box from Leo's hand. Taking a deep whiff, he ran his nose along the object and gave a short lick across the lid.

Staining the object with his grotesque tongue, the Archbishop flipped the gold-plated latch and exposed the contents inside.

"Ehh?! What is this!?" Petelgeuse pointed to the contents inside as he tilted his head back.

"Is something wrong Archbishop?" Leo asked.

"No!" He smacked he man as fast as he could talk. "To think I'd have to spend more time reading! Reading I dare say!" He began walking awkwardly across the cavern floor. "So slothful, so, so slothful. I feel the desire building up in me, its great!" The sound of bones being broken echoed throughout the cave as the Archbishop bent head back farther than normal.

"If that is all Archbishop, I shall take my leave. The council will suspect my absence soon enough." Leo informed the man.

"Bye, bye now!" Petelgeuse waved as he began laughing for no reason. As the man promptly left the scene, the Archbishop returned to his own devices. "Now then, to begin my goal of carrying out the Ordeal. My Queen, I will be one with you!"

Fishing through the box, he dug out the sealed parchment and ripped the seal off. Reading through the instructions, a sinister smile formed on his face. This was only the beginning he thought to himself.

Chewing on his fingers, he began forcefully biting them off as he kept reading. Nothing would stop him from achieving his goal, nothing.

* * *

"Now, now. Let's all put the weapons away and resolve this issue." Subaru held his arms out in front of the two parties.

While Enkidu didn't seem like the type of attacking first, he was more than capable of retaliating back in some manner. Just his unarmed appearance was enough to put most warriors off.

"_I don't see any ill intent radiating from the stranger. I think you can give him a chance Lia." _Puck chimed into Emilia's head.

"_Are you sure?"_ Emilia questioned his suggestion.

"_I wouldn't have suggested it to you if I didn't think it was safe to do so."_ He told her.

"_Fair enough."_ Emilia agreed silently. Lowering her hands slowly, Rem and Ram saw the gesture and were surprised by the sudden move. If the lady of the house wished to talk, then they'd follow along until then.

"Alright Subaru, we'll hear your friend out." Emilia rested a hand on her hips as she stood down.

"That's great to hear. Now then, will you cooperate with us Enkidu?" Subaru asked the figure.

Enkidu merely blinked a few times, offering nothing but silence. Perhaps his Master didn't catch the memo, but he was more than willing to cooperate to the full extent if his Master wished so. Maybe he just wasn't paying attention?

"I will follow your request Master. Please, ask me anything that is on your mind, I shall do my best to answer your questions." The servant bowed.

"Ram, please prepare some refreshments for our Guest." Emilia quickly instructed the maid.

"Please excuse me." Ram bowed obediently before making herself scarce.

"Shall we move to a more appropriate area? I feel like discussing things in a formal area would be much better than here." Emilia suggested.

As Subaru was about to respond to her question, Enkidu cut him off by responding directly. "If you wish so, Miss?.." He politely asked for her name.

"Emilia, just call me Emilia." The silver-haired girl said.

"Very well Emilia, I will cooperate with you as it is my Master's will." Enkidu reminded the girl.

"Umm…" Subaru murmured as the group began shuffling out of the room and towards another spot.

Feeling a warm hand on his shoulder, his eyes met with Enkidu's who gave off an almost playful look in them. "Are we ready to follow Master?" He asked him.

"Ah, yeah…let's go.." Subaru said slowly as he followed after the girls. If he had to admit something, being called 'Master' was a whole new experience for him.

Gathering in a new room, the appearance of the walls and ceiling indicated it was meant as a temporary area where guests would lounge about. Sitting on opposite ends of each other, the only thing separating the two parties was an expensive coffee table.

"Now then, where shall we begin?" Enkidu asked first as Ram set down the tray of drinks.

"Tell me about yourself for starters." Emilia asked as she sat attentively.

Enkidu narrowed his brows. "Very well, if you wish." Clearing his throat, he decided to start from the basics. "Allow me to formally introduce myself to you all. I am Servant Lancer, Enkidu. A Heroic Spirit."

The words _Heroic Spirit_ rang throughout Emilia's ears, was this person related to the summoning she executed earlier? No way! Clearly summoning in this world involved enchanted beasts, not actual people!

"Hold on a second!" Emilia threw her hand up. "Heroic Spirit?! Don't tell me you're the one I tried summoning earlier!?"

"Huh?" Enkidu wore a surprised look on his face. "I am unsure by what you mean, clearly my Master here summoned me since he bears the Command Seals." A finger pointed to the back of Subaru's hand.

"Eh!? How is that possible!? I summoned you, you were supposed to bind your contract to me! It's what the instructions stated clearly!" Emilia protested, she looked like she was going to tear her hair out at any given minute.

"Wait what?! Emilia was supposed to own you?" Subaru wore a shocked expression. "And Emilia-tan, how come you're summoning people all of a sudden?"

"My, my. It seems fate has twisted some crucial events. Clearly things haven't been arranged in order." Enkidu commented.

Emilia tried her best to keep a calm composure, but trying to remain calm when the very thing you summoned ended up in the hands of the most reckless individual on Lugnica is quite difficult.

"Listen here Subaru, you have a lot of questions on your mind right now. I want you save it for later, right now I need to know what sort of trouble I've gotten myself into regarding the royal selection." Emilia stated to the teen in a clear manner.

The word trouble stood out to the teen like a sore thumb. If Emilia was in trouble, then he needed to act quickly. "Emilia-tan is in trouble?! Why didn't you tell me? What can I do to help?" Subaru begged like the obedient dog he was.

"No!" Emilia promptly rejected his advance. "I don't want to involve you in my problems any further Subaru." The girl bluntly stated. _"You've done more harm than good if I'm being honest." _

"Huh?! Bu-"

"Enkidu, is there a way to transfer your contract over?" Emilia cut off the teen before he could speak any further.

The Servant merely shook his head slowly. "Unfortunately, I cannot do so unless my Master relieves himself of his duty. That is a decision only my Master can execute, should he fall or expend all his Command Seals, I may accept a pact with you when the opportunity arises."

Emilia bit her lower lip in frustration. She was stuck in a corner here, with no way out. Would the council realise this mistake? Would she get disqualified from the royal selection because of this? No, she wasn't going to give up that easily, what they don't know won't hurt them.

Perhaps the best course of action now was to get as many answers out of Enkidu before preparing a plan to ensure she wins the throne. With that said, things just got a lot more complicated.

"Say Enkidu, what are you?" Emilia asked in a curious voice.

"I am a Heroic Spirit, summoned here to fight at your request for the Holy Grail. I am merely a weapon to be used, nothing more, nothing less." The Servant replied.

"Eh? Holy Grail? You mean for the throne, right? You must be confused; you were summoned to supposedly help me fight for the throne so I can be the next ruler of this Kingdom." Emilia corrected him, although that just lead to more questions than answers.

"Throne? I am sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Have the rules of this war changed?" Enkidu asked with a genuinely innocent look.

"_Holy Grail? Is that some sort of magical artefact?" _Emilia asked herself.

"What did you call yourself a Lancer back then? Does that hold a meaning to your abilities?" Subaru asked out of the blue. The teen had sat himself next to Enkidu with an interested look on his face.

Enkidu merely shifted his gaze towards the ceiling. There was a lot of questions floating about, perhaps it was best if he began from the very start and explained the Holy Grail war in a summarised version.

"Now then, where do I begin?" He stroked his hair in a playful as he wondered how to convey the information. "I guess we can begin with the Holy Grail itself. To put it simply, the Holy Grail is an all wishing device that will grant anything you ask of it. It is the end goal of all participants in a Holy Grail war, and frankly speaking, people will go to great lengths to secure such a wish granting device." Shifting his posture, he moved into a more comfortable position before continuing. "My memory seems a bit hazy so I might be incorrect in some parts, but from what I know, there can only be a total of 7 Master's in a grail war. To ensure victory, each of the 7 participants must summon a Heroic Spirit to fight for them. These Heroic Spirits are mostly referred to as Servants, and they battle it out against each other to secure victory for their Master. Naturally there are seven classes, Saber….."

* * *

"….Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker. Certain Servants fall under these specific classes due to their nature when they were once alive. Naturally, these classes reflect on the skills the Servant possesses. Take me for example, I belong in the Archer class because I am regarded as the Master of the bow in my lifetime." Chiron explained to his Master.

"I see, so the Servant summoned reflects that of the class they are summoned under. This could be useful information when we're going up against our opponents." Crusch Karsten stroked her chin.

"He seems like a strong warrior Crusch, he will surely bring you victory for the throne _nyaa_." Ferris offered a piece of his mind.

"What do you think Wilhelm?" She asked the ageing man.

Wilhelm merely gave a silent nod. It was enough to answer Crusch's question since his silence was basically acknowledging Chiron as a worthy warrior.

"Now then, can you explain these Command Seals?" Crusch held the back of her right hand up.

"Ah, how do I explain this?" Chiron pondered as he held a finger to this chin. "Essentially Command Seals…"

* * *

"….are three claims of absolute obedience, the crystallization of a great magic, that a Master has over a Servant in the Holy Grail War. Us Servants aren't normally controlled by humans, we are burdened by the _'absolute condition for materialisation'_, the authority of the Command Seals engraved into the Master upon summoning." Siegfried paused, checking to see if his Master had been following along with his explanations. " Command Seals must be used carefully for they are indispensable as both emergency measures and for governing a Servant. While a Master can order his Servant around with a Command Seal, depending on the magnitude of the order, the Servant may disobey and resist the Command."

"Ho? This is interesting." Priscilla shut her fan in one swift motion. "Truly I have been blessed by the presence of Siegfried here. The Throne has beckoned my name and awarded me with Siegfried who will aid me in securing my presence as the future ruler. How extravagant!" The young lady was giddy over the thought of finally sitting down in that damned chair.

"You're right there Your Highness." Al agreed with her.

Priscilla acknowledged the praise she was given, she felt unstoppable at this point. By tomorrow, the reins would be let loose and each candidate would have the ability to run a knife through each other.

"What I've just explained is merely…."

* * *

"….from what my memories tell me. I could be mistaken but that is pretty much the Holy Grail War summarised in a basic way." Enkidu toyed with his hair as the discussion was open to questions yet again.

"This, this is quite troublesome indeed." Emilia said slowly as a worried look formed on her face. "You said there are seven Servants right Enkidu?"

"Yes, I made myself clear with that." He replied with a raised brow, his suspicions getting the better of him.

"Then it doesn't make sense, who are the other two Masters then?" Emilia asked out loud.

"Other two? Are you saying this war is lacking two Masters?" Enkidu clarified with her.

"That or the Council is hiding something from us." The girl concluded with suspicion rising in her voice.

"If I may, you said you are fighting for a Throne? Naturally if I was bound to you, I would've assisted you in your task. But since you have some sort of close ties with my Master, perhaps there is a way I can aid you in your goals after all." Enkidu casted a quick glance to Subaru who avoided the stares in the room.

"That's…going to be a bit of a problem I'm afraid." Emilia put it bluntly as she looked at Subaru.

"Eh? Why's that? I want to help you Emilia-tan. I will put my life and soul on the line to make sure you claim the throne! Why should there be a problem!?" Subaru lashed out at her.

"That's not the problem here Subaru!" Emilia shot back, her voice cracked at the response.

It was the saddened look in Emilia's face that gave rise to Enkidu's suspicion. Clearly the two parties were on uneven terms before he arrived. Whatever their problems were, it wasn't his call to intervene.

There was a long drifting awkward silence in the room. Not a single soul wanted to chime in and add to the foul mood.

In Subaru's mind, he knew he acted out of his place in the Court Room. But the reason for his actions was completely justifiable on his end. So why, why was he being treated like this?!

"Listen Subaru, can we talk?" Emilia asked in a low voice. "I have a lot of things to ask from you."

The teen merely avoided her gaze as she looked at him. Leaning back in the chair, he decided to hear her out at least. "I suppose you do….."

"Why did you end up fighting Julius?" She genuinely asked him. "Knowing you, you must've had an important reason for doing so-

"I just wanted to get him back!" He cut her off. The sound of that name made his blood boil visibly. In all his lifetime he had never hated a person as much as Julius Juukulius.

"Huh?" Emilia replied with a stunned look.

"I was being stubborn," Subaru began to ramble, his emotions spilling out as clear as day. "He told me I was pathetic, powerless, and unworthy of you. Frankly speaking, he was trying to distance me from you, and I hated every bit of it." He gritted his teeth in anger. "That's why I fought him."

Emilia couldn't believe the words that were coming from his mouth. "Just for that?..." She trailed off, unable to continue.

Subaru opened his mouth but stopped himself halfway, clearly he wanted to say something but held off. "You wouldn't understand anyway Emilia."

"I see." She said, coming to terms with the teen. "Do you remember the reason why we came to the Capital? It was so Ferris could heal your broken gate. That was our agreement remember? But you went ahead and did your own things." The girl bit her lower lip in frustration, while it was hard for her to say it, she needed to put it out there.

"Hold on a minute! I had my reasons for doing-"

"Subaru, why is it whenever when I'm with you, you always push yourself to unreasonable extents?" She cut him off, imposing the question on him instantly.

"Eh? You got it all wrong! That's not what I meant. I just-"

"Just?" Emilia furrowed a brow.

Subaru's face turned into that of a desperate man, someone who was willing to deny everything just to save face. "I just wanted to do something for you, so I…"

"For me?" Emilia's tone sank into that of a disappointed one.

"Mmm" Subaru nodded slowly.

"It was for your own gains wasn't it?" The words ran like a knife through the teen.

"Eh?!"He responded in disbelief. "No…you've got it all wrong…I just wanted to do something for you-"

-CRASH!-

The teacup that was Emilia's hand had ended up on the floor in a few dozen pieces. In the heat of the moment, the half-elf couldn't believe the words that was coming out of Subaru's mouth. Prompting her to throw the cup in anger.

"Enough already!" Emilia yelled at him. It was the first time she had acted this way, she was on the verge of losing her composure. There was visible pain in her eyes, and it showed. "Stop lying, stop saying that everything's for my sake! You may as well be dragging my name through the mud!"

Subaru could only stare in shock, he'd truly put himself on the deep end here.

"Coming to the castle, fighting Julius and using magic…Are you saying that was all for me?!" She asked him. "I _never_ asked you to do any of that!"

At this point he had lost his footing in the conversation. There was nothing he could hit back with, other than look on like the blazing idiot he was.

"Hey, do you remember what I asked you to do?" She asked him.

"I-I…"

"I asked you to stay and wait for me at the lodging with Rem. I asked you to not to use magic anymore as it will endanger you even further."

"Y-You're wrong there. I-I'm sorry I didn't do as you ask. But you have it all wrong!" Subaru's denial hit an all new high, even Enkidu could see his Master was hammering the nails into his coffin now. "I-I didn't do it for myself." His hand quickly covered his mouth, stopping him from going any further. Averting his gaze, away from her all he could say was. "You won't believe me will you, Emilia?'

"I want to." Emilia said in a disappointed manner. "I really want to believe you, Subaru…I want to..." She closed her eyes and prepared herself for what came next. "But you're the one who won't give me a reason to!"

A small gasp escaped her mouth before she continued. "You promised me…But just like that you threw it away and ended up in this position! You can't keep your promise to me, and yet you expect me to believe you!? Impossible! I can't do that, I simply cannot!"

Subaru merely kept his hands over his mouth, there was no turning back now. What's been done is done. Now the only way forward was to salvage this mess if he could.

"Tell me Subaru, why do you keep trying to help me like this?"

"Because you helped me…" He said truthfully.

"I-I helped you?" The words confused Emilia deeply.

"Yes." He nodded. "You don't realise it, but the thing you've done for me have saved me."

"No, I don't Subaru." She bluntly told him.

"Wait, no. I don't expect you to…But it's true! You saved me! So everything I've done has been to repay you." He tried telling her.

"I told you, I don't understand!" She screamed at him, losing her entire composure in the process.

"Maybe you don't, but please listen to me! It's the truth!" He argued. "You were the-…When I first came into this world, you were-"

Everything hurt, his body was in a total roller-coaster of pain. He could feel it, that dreaded feeling. It was that thing that always stopped him from telling everyone his abilities. Clutching his chest, he gasped for air as he realised, he couldn't continue any further.

"Subaru!" Rem called out in shock as she saw the boy in pain. Attempting to move to assist him, a hand blocked her from intervening. It belonged to that of her sister, who silently told her not to move.

Seeing the stunned look on his Master's face, Enkidu's senses flared up into overdrive. Somehow, somewhere, someone was hurting his Master. He could sense the presence of another party in the room, yet they were nowhere to be seen physically and spiritually.

Emilia straightened her posture, accepting the situation before her. "Once again, you won't tell me anything." She said disappointingly.

"Why won't you understand?" He begged in a defeated tone. "I thought if anyone could understand...it'd be you."

"The Emilia that lives within you must be an amazing person. She can understand everything, even if you don't explain it to her. She can feel all your pain, sadness, and anger as her own." She told the boy, a hint of jealousy was mixed in her tone, she couldn't compete with the Emilia Subaru had. "I can't understand if you don't tell me Subaru."

Hand still clutching his chest, his world was full of turmoil right now. Added with the fact his emotional control was simply gone, it was safe to say Subaru wasn't in his right state of mind. "I've…No, all this time, haven't I made everything work out all right?!" His words were literally flowing with anger and despair. "When your insignia was stolen, I saved you from an insane killer at the loot house! I risked my life! All because you were important to me!"

Emilia merely bit her lower lip, choosing to keep quiet.

"At the mansion too! Things worked out because of me! ME! Without me, it would've been a lot worse! All of it! All of it! All of it I tell you! All of this was because of ME! You should have a greater debt to me than you could ever repay!" His voice echoed throughout the giant building. Panting heavily, he never paused to take a breath when he expunged all the emotions he had.

"You're right. You're absolutely right Subaru. I owe you many debts." Emilia's tone was filled with sadness and disappointment.

"Yeah, that's right! That's why I…."

"Hence why I'll repay all of them now." She said. "And end this once and for all." She declared.

"Huh?!" He choked on his saliva.

Steering herself away from Subaru, she made her way to the doors of the room. "You've done enough Subaru Natsuki. I had high hopes for you. Maybe, I thought maybe you would be the first person that wouldn't give me the special treatment card. That you'd look at me the same way you look at everyone else."

"I can't do that." He replied bluntly. "I can't look at you the same way I look at others. It's impossible!"

Emilia merely sighed; it was over. "Don't worry about the Throne anymore." She said before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

Petelgeuse Romani-Conti. An archbishop of sin and under the guidance of Sloth. Upon finishing his rites to summoning his own personal Servant, his plans of executing the Ordeal would soon be under way. But naturally he had question of his own to ask of the Servant he summoned as he had no idea of how things functioned with the pact he created with a total stranger.

"Eh? Why do we need to harvest children?" The archbishop asked the man with his head cocked to a ninety-degree angle. "We have perfect bodies we can use right here!" He exclaimed just as he ran a hand through a poor sod like he was nothing. Blood splattering across his robes, he dug around the body and ripped the heart out. Presenting the healthy organ to the Servant, the being merely rejected it with his gaze.

"Petelgeuse my Master! While it is a fine addition to my collection, I simply cannot use it for my most important projects!" The Servant leaned forward in a bid to get his point across to the man, his eyeballs looked like they were about to pop out. "I need children! Children make the finest specimens for me to create an army you desire! My workshop will grant you access to untold abilities!" He pumped a fist into the air.

"Ho?" A grin formed across the Archbishop's face. "I smell a scent, one that does not belong to _her_, but it smells good!" He took a whiff from the Servant while his tongue snaked out of his mouth and licked the man's face. "Kya! I cannot stray from the path of my beloved! I must express my love! Love! Love!" His feet danced around the room, truly he had lost all common decency.

"Say Master, you told me we are racing against the clock here. You wanted to complete your objective, then allow me to complete it with you with much greater efficiency!" The Servant declared.

"You do put out a good point Caster." Petelgeuse licked his lips in response. "Let us travel to the Capital city, my associates will assist you in harvesting the finest children for your workshop."

"GOOD! GOOD! COOL!" Caster exclaimed with a sick joyous look on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

An entire day had passed since the 24-hour hiatus had been lifted. Normally the news would've flooded all levels of the districts about a battle taking place, but nothing rolled through. Not one of the Royal candidates had dared to make a move.

But trouble was stirring elsewhere throughout the kingdom, and it wasn't by the hands of the participants. Rather, a third party had unofficially declared themselves in a manner befitting of their disgusting nature.

Within a couple of hours after the hiatus, chaos had crawled and seeped through the Eastern district of the Capital. Infecting the place like a rapid virus, nothing was safe from the touch of the wretched Abyss. Demon look alike that came from the darkest depths of a person who had truly lost it.

At first it started out slow, a few kidnapping and murders had sprung up all at once. The victims were mostly young children, barely in their teens. The whole district was in an uproar, demanding the heads of those responsible.

The local guard was thrown into a frenzy as reserves were called into place to help with the search. Before long, the screams and sightings of the Witch Cult escalated things even further. The enemy clearly had an ulterior motive for putting on such a horrendous display.

Shortly after the Witch Cult had been sighted, hell came down like a giant hammer on the populace. The once mutilated bodies that had been recovered to be put to rest, burst open like sacs as spawns of the devil itself entered the material realm.

With the entire district on lockdown, together with the local guard and the assistance of the Knights, the pavements of the East bloc quickly dissolved into a warzone. Blood ran like a constant stream through the canals as bodies lay slumped on various locations. Warriors of various ethnics engaged cultists and daemonic beings alike.

No matter how many times the daemonic entities were slain, they always came back, in bigger numbers as well. Before long, soldiers and Knights were being overpowered by the sheer volume of enemies' present.

Meanwhile for some, they merely looked on at the pain and suffering being inflicted. Merely batting an eye and refusing to lift a finger to help. That was the cold true nature of the rich aristocracy that governed the Kingdom.

The same could be translated to the other royal candidates nesting within the city. Sanding idle from their lavish balcony's or well-furnished rooms, neglecting the chaos that was unfolding right at their doorstep.

"Master, it seems the enemy Servant is still lurking about the area. Should I make my move and destroy the target?" Chiron asked his handler, albeit it wasn't the first nor last time he was requesting it.

"Stave yourself Archer, our enemies haven't made a move yet. Until then we shall wait." Crusch bluntly told him.

"Eh…We aren't going to help the citizens?" Ferris asked with a puzzled look.

"While I can choose to do so, I risk exposing my greatest asset to my enemies. The risks are far to great for me to handle, until someone makes a move, my stance remains firm." The woman declared.

As if the timing couldn't be right, a new presence appeared in Chiron's sight. Analysing the battlefield from afar, the signature and outline couldn't fool him. Another Servant has appeared and has joined the fray it seems.

"Well by the stars." Chiron smirked. "Master, another Servant has appeared, it seems to be fighting the enemy's forces." He told the woman.

Crusch's face lit up like a Christmas tree that instant. The news she had been eagerly awaiting finally reached her ears. What was she going to do? What happens now? "Wilhelm, Anastasia Hoshin has been confirmed to reside in the East bloc right?" She asked the man.

"According to my sources, yes." He nodded.

"I see, so Ana has made her move, has she?" She stroked her chin, eager to see how this new turn of events would play out.

* * *

Down on the streets, Knights and soldiers alike battled it out, continuing their valiant push against the monstrous tide that besieged them. At the heart of the fighting, Marcos Gildark, the man himself personally lead the charge.

"Rally up! Do not let them through to the citizens! Cut them down as quick as you can!" He barked, invigorating hope at the same time to the exhausted warriors beside him.

"Commander, they just keep on coming!" A soldier spouted as he fended off another beast. Its screaming wails left the soldier with bad tinnitus.

"Look out!" Marcos pointed but acted before anything else.

As the soldier saw what he meant, it was already too late as the wave of tentacles had barrelled towards him like an unstoppable tide. Fearing the worst, he raised his sword in defence to weather the storm.

-SLASH!-

Feeling nothing hit him, the foul odour of blood filled his nostrils as he realised what had transpired. Looking at his saviour, he couldn't help but rejoice.

"Oi! Save that smile for later we aren't done here yet!" The Knight Commander berated the soldier.

"Captain look out!" Another soldier called out.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as it was already too late to retaliate.

-SLASH!-

-SLASH!-

Within the blink of an eye, the monster that had been charging towards the Commander had been sliced and diced into pieces. Joining the fray at their darkest hour, the mysterious saviour darted towards the next beast at near frightening speeds.

Unable to make out the shape and face of the figure, the soldiers merely stared in awe as the mysterious combatant moved like a blur from target to target. The elegance and swiftness put into their moves were simply unmatched by what they had.

Before they knew it, the monsters that had been infecting this part of the street had been dispelled off. Albeit not permanently, the window of opportunity that had been created was enough for the soldiers to rally up and band together for one big push.

"Form up! Charge forward and never let your swords falter! Cut down the enemy with no remorse, for Lugnica!" The Commander screamed at the top of his lungs as he charged an already regenerating beast.

Leaving the soldiers to their devices, the mysterious figure merely snaked her way through the city streets. Hacking and slashing her way through any obstacles under her Master's orders. She wasn't here on clean up duty, instead she was hunting down a specific target, the one behind all this madness.

She was close, so close she could smell the stench he/she was giving off. Scaling the walls and the rooftops, the target merely stood out in the open on one of the small central squares.

"Found you!" She declared.

Readying both her knives, she descended like a hawk would when it spots its meal. Coming down at breakneck speeds, she swung her blades with near precision. There was no escape, this Servant was done for.

"Found you!" He exclaimed with a vigorous look as he quickly turned his head in her direction. His facial expression alone was enough to make people's stomachs churn in hatred and disgust.

Startled by the revelation, she pressed on, her mother wanted this person dead and she would do anything to make that wish come true. Bearing her knives, they came down like sharp claws ready to mangle apart its prey.

"Die."

Without a second to lose, Caster quickly used his spell book to summon forth a tide of tentacles from the ground. The attempt was futile though as the mysterious girl sliced her way through it like it was nothing.

Sporting a mischievous grin on his face, he was enjoying this little bout. Its been years since he's had an opponent that made him squirm on the inside, it was enough to make him repent in front the Lord.

As the mysterious girl landed on the ground, she readied her knives for another round at dissecting her target.

"Oh my! I can't believe it! I'm being visited by a wonderful child, clearly the Lord has graciously gifted you to me!" He boldly proclaimed. "Come young one, you'd make a fine specimen to my collection." His fingers moved in a strangling motion.

"Shut up, you're annoying." She told him before charging towards him.

"Ah, how disappointing. I had high hopes for you, to see such a beautiful creation like you be used in a way that is unfitting of the Lord. MAY YOUR SOUL ROT IN HELL!" Caster manically screamed at the top of his lungs before a horde of monsters sprang forth from the shadows.

Irritated by the obstacles in her path, she readied her knives and leapt forward with blitzing speed. Hacking her way through the crowd, she broke through the living barrier before arriving at the spot where Caster once stood.

Seeing only emptiness, anger and regret began building up inside the Servant. She specifically came out here to kill that wretched man, yet she would turn out empty handed. No matter, she would give chase since she could still sense he was in the vicinity.

"_That's enough Jack, please return home now."_ A voice beckoned forth through her mental link.

"But mummy! I wanna go after that man!" She protested out loud.

"_You'll get you chance soon enough dear. Please, come home. You did a good job regardless."_ She told the girl.

"Aww, I understand." She pouted visibly before disappearing into the shadows.

Meanwhile in the other districts, vulture like eyes watched the situation in the East bloc. The fact that Anastasia Hoshin has revealed her Servant to the world meant she wasn't hiding anymore. It would be a matter of time before the others would make a move. Thus, the waiting game began again.

* * *

-A day earlier-

"Fuck me dead." Subaru sighed in a defeated tone as he collapsed down onto the mansion's grass.

Following closely but discreetly, Enkidu stood next to his Master, wondering if he could offer his assistance. "Are you all right Master?" His tone was filled with innocence.

"Wah?! Enkidu!?" Subaru gasped as he didn't realise he was followed.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" The Servant's face changed into a worried look.

"Oh no, don't worry. I just didn't realise you were there." The teen told him before calming down and returning to his previous position.

Glancing up at the sky, it was littered with stars as far as the eye could see. Clearly the constellations were mapped differently, but he was surprised he could recognize some.

"Why are you here Enkidu?" Subaru asked him.

Tilting his head to one side, he was sure his Master would've gotten the idea. But it seems it must've slipped past his brain and gone elsewhere. "I decided to check on you, clearly you're encounter earlier with Miss Emilia didn't end well."

Subaru merely frowned at the recent memory. It left a sour taste in his mouth, almost to the point he wanted to vomit. What's been done is done, there was no going back, yet the gnawing feeling of how he could've handled it better kept pinging the back of his head.

"I appreciate the thought Enkidu, but I'm fine." He said, reluctant to share his feelings with the Servant.

Enkidu merely blinked a few times, is this how emotional normal people are? If so, this was going to be a bit harder than he thought. "The stars look wonderful tonight." A smile appeared on the Servants face as he gazed upwards.

Sharing his point of view, Subaru resumed his gaze of the starry night. Truly the view was captivating, it was relaxing to say the least. It helped take his mind off recent events and allowed him to be lost for a bit.

"It reminds me of the days when I was in Uruk. This world has its fair share of beautiful stars, even constellations." Enkidu commented.

"Uruk? Is that where you were born?" Subaru turned to the Servant, curious about his origins.

Enkidu merely smiled and shook his head. "No, I was made by the Gods of that age to primarily be a weapon, no more than a tool ready to be cast aside." A small sigh escaped his mouth. "Yet I disobeyed my creators, somehow I joined humanity's side. Immediately I was a broken weapon. It's precisely why I was a broken weapon that I was able to redefine myself and decided to walk alongside humanity. I was born without the concept of free will and somehow, I managed scratch the surface of the concept. Although I managed to break free from the shackles of my creators, I still don't consider myself to be a human."

Subaru couldn't believe the words that were coming out of Enkidu's mouth. "Huh?! Are you listening to yourself Enkidu?" He asked the Servant who only replied with a confused look. "You're human enough to me, heck, the way you act is close enough to be a human in my book!"

"You're wrong! Totally wrong!" Enkidu shook his head in disagreement. "I am a weapon, a tool to be precise, always am and always will be. I don't understand the grasp of human nature, these personality's you possess. It's all foreign to me."

"That's where you're wrong!" Subaru shot back. "Jeez, are you even listening to yourself Enkidu? You sound like a silly kid right now." Raising a finger, he pointed sternly at the Servant and said. "Listen up, you may have been created as a weapon, but look at you now! You managed to gather your own free will and defy your creators! If that isn't being human, then I don't know what is! Enkidu, you're displaying human qualities right off the bat, you even asked me if I was doing alright earlier, that shows you care!"

"Don't take it like that! I was just checking on you because you're my Master." The Servant protested.

"That's where you're wrong! You'd be lying to yourself if you decided to check up on me just because I'm your Master. You did it out of your own volition! No weapon or object is going to ask how I'm doing out of their own free will. But you did, you asked me how I was getting along. That to me is being a human Enkidu." Subaru patted his chest, indicating to where his heart was seated. "Besides, I could tell you went out of your way to check on me, your eyes told me so."

"Eh!" Enkidu gasped as he covered his hands with his face. Could he have been read so easily?

"You've got the qualities to be a human Enkidu, don't say you lack the requirements to do so." The teen waved a finger at him.

Silence befell the two again as Enkidu was busy collecting his thoughts. There was something stirring inside the Servant, a new part of him that was entirely new. It felt good, like it wanted to break free and be a part of this world.

"You are kind Natsuki Subaru. You have a good heart, truly." Enkidu offered a smile.

Embarrassed by the compliment, the teen could only avert his gaze. "Well, if you put it that way…."

A small awkward silence befell the two before they started laughing over the silly matter. Clearly the two were getting along nicely, an unexpected development yet a welcome one.

"I decided to walk alongside humanity, you are a human, Master. Therefore, do not show me any restraint, use me however you see fit." Enkidu stood up and bowed towards Subaru.

"Please, you don't have to be so formal." The teen waved his hand. "Besides, even if you tell me that I'll still worry about you no matter what. You're a human in my book now Enkidu, so I'll treat you as such even though you're some godly weapon." He finished his sentence with a grin.

"I see…." Enkidu merely smiled warmly as he shifted his gaze to the sky.

Joining the duo with a tray in her hands, Rem could only wonder what the two males were conversing about before she arrived. "Subaru, I brought you some tea."

"Uh, seriously you didn't have to Rem." The teen kindly told her.

"No, please, I insist." She shook her head.

Subaru merely let out a defeated sigh. "If you say so." He told her before helping himself to the beverage.

"Say Subaru, are you feeling alright?" Rem asked him in a low voice.

Reminded why he was here in the first place; the bad memories came pouring back as fresh as ever. While he did enjoy the brief respite he had with Enkidu, it was inevitable that the previous raging emotions he had would flow back in.

"Don't worry Rem, I'm fine." He lied to her. In actual value, he wanted revenge, the thought of smothering in that perfect face made him more relaxed. He was going to get better, no matter the cost, he was going to bounce back and prove each and every one of those stupid faces that looked down on him.

"Subaru? You seem angry…?" Rem pointed it out to him as Subaru's face was covered in pure hatred and anger.

"Ho? Human emotions really are complex aren't they." Enkidu remarked as he studied his Master's face. While he was in no position to talk about emotions, he could tell something was bothering the Teen. Whether it was his place to intrude or not was a different matter, perhaps the young man needed time to himself.

Subaru merely let out a tired sigh, chucking a short glance towards his Servant, a crazy yet plausible idea came about his head. Perhaps Enkidu could train him, after all, these Heroic Spirits were made to fight.

The sensation of throwing his feet straight into a training session itched all over his body. Enkidu seemed like someone he could train under, after all, he isn't _that_ ridiculously powerful right? What is he joking about, Enkidu looked like a skilled fighter, but he can't be that _strong_.

"Enkidu, I have a favour to ask of you." He quickly asked the Servant.

Enkidu merely put on a surprised look. He wondered what sort of task his Master would have him do at this hour. "Very well Master, what is it you desire of me?" He promptly bowed to heed the request.

"I want you to train me, right here, right now. Let's start our session tonight. I want to get stronger; will you help me?" Subaru clenched his fist determinedly.

The wind picked up speed around them, as if nature sensed a sudden shift in the scales of power. It was blowing in an odd direction, the source itself was coming from Subaru Natsuki himself. Perhaps he had some charm, or the Earth really admired him, all living things in the area poured their lungs out to cheer the Teen.

Well, only Enkidu could hear the racketeering since he could communicate with the planet, but it was comforting to know that even the world was supporting his Master in his endeavours.

Surprised at his Master's request, the Servant could only shake his head and smile. If that was what Subaru desired, then he would fulfil that wish. "If you say so Master, when shall we begin?"

"Now, right now. We'll use all this open space; this whole garden will be our battlefield." Subaru gestured to the large space around them.

"Hmmm, yes, this will fit perfectly." Enkidu nodded to himself as he eyed the surroundings. Realising a fatal error regarding his Master, he decided to call it out. "Master, it seems we will be sparring without a weapon, are you fine by this?"

Recognizing what Enkidu meant, the teen glanced down at his empty hands and wondered how to solve this problem. "Ah, this is going to be a problem indeed."

"Don't worry Subaru, I'll fetch a training sword from the mansion." Rem said before attempting to run off.

"Forget it Rem, I have a trick up my sleeve." Enkidu told the girl with a mischievous grin on his face.

"I don't follow." Subaru told the Servant with a confused look.

Keeping the same grin on his face, the air around the Servant began to shift. From the normal calm relaxed atmosphere, he once gave off, it now turned into something that a killer machine would possess.

Within a heartbeat, sparks of electricity erupted around Enkidu as he held his right hand out. The flow of magical energy coursed through the air, bringing everything within a close vicinity to a standstill as it was just captivating to the naked eye.

What looked like dirt, mud, and clay, rose from the earth itself and began shaping itself into a simple sword, the most common tool a warrior would possess. The whole process itself transpired within less than a second.

Holding the weapon in his hand, the Servant swung it a few times to test its overall durability. Satisfied with the results, he walked over and handed the weapon to Subaru. "Here, this should serve you for the meantime." He casually told him.

"Whoa!...That's so cool!" The teen exclaimed as he examined the sword.

"I didn't know Enkidu possessed such amazing abilities." Rem stared in awe.

"Err, is it fine to be using live weapons?" Subaru wore a concerned look as he pointed at the sharp blade.

"There is no need to worry, it's all part of the learning curve." He replied calmly. "Now then, let us formally begin our training Master." Enkidu told the teen as he readied his hand. Pouring magical energy into his right hand with just a mere thought, great bursts of energy cackled wildly as it took the form of a blade.

Standing a few feet apart from each other, Subaru readied his stance and controlled his breathing. While he was no stranger to the sword, he wasn't exactly the most skilled user either now that he thinks about it.

"Ready? Here I come!" Subaru told the Servant as he charged forward. Running with all his might, he readied his sword for a strike.

Coming within striking distance, he dragged the weapon up and poured all his might into the upcoming swing. Seeing Enkidu leave himself wide open, he wondered if it was okay to hit him like this. Nevertheless, he did warn the Servant beforehand, may as well commit.

-CLANG!-

The hit connected but it wasn't anything Subaru was expecting. Seeing Enkidu block the blade effortlessly with his energized hand, it showed how low he was going to drop his defences just to fight Subaru.

Feeling the weapon vibrate violently in his hand, the teen nearly lost his grip on he weapon but regained control. Pulling the weapon back, he swung again yet the hit was parried flawlessly by the Servant.

Pushing onwards, Subaru was determined to break through Enkidu's stalwart defences. His facial expression said it all, the rawness of just various emotions revealed themselves to the world. Anger, hate, regret, sadness, grief, just to name a few that could be seen.

-CLANG!-

-CLANG!-

-CLANG!-

The two blades echoed throughout the night sky, repeating the same crisp sound every time. As Rem watched on, she could only wish Subaru the best in this time.

Exchanging hit after hit, Subaru's arms began to tire from all the constant swinging. He had mostly practiced with wooden swords his whole life, so picking up a proper one felt like a brand-new experience. Yet despite all this, he was still determined to defeat his opponent.

Heart rate and breathing increasing with each clash, he could feel his body hitting its maximum point. Yet the thrill of battle made him ignore the warning signs that his body was internally screaming.

Executing another swing, Enkidu blocked the blade with one move and sent the sword in the opposite direction. Feeling his arms were thrown about like nothing, the teen lost his footing and collapsed onto the grass.

Panting heavily, he felt like his heart was about to burst at any given second now. Recovering from the experience, he stared at Enkidu who merely gave him a cold calculating gaze. One thing he noticed during the session was how Enkidu never bothered to strike back, not even once. Instead he played the defensive game the whole time.

While there was nothing wrong with his actions, it angered Subaru on many different levels since it felt like he was being mocked. Moreover, it reminded him of his encounter with Julius, everything felt the same.

"Oi! Why aren't you taking me seriously Enkidu?" Subaru pointed a finger at him.

Enkidu merely wore a confused look. "What do you mean? I am taking you seriously, this is a training session after all. That doesn't require me to go all out on you right?" His tone was filled with innocence.

The sentence simply entered Subaru's ears and his brain decided to selectively choose which words mattered to him the most. Angered and frustrated at the reason Enkidu game him, his growing emotions took over and handled what came out of his mouth next.

"I don't care if this is a training session, do not hold back on me! It feels like you are mocking me right now. Go ahead, show me what you _Heroic Spirits _are really capable of. I won't back down!" Subaru declared in a cocky manner.

Heeding his Master's wishes, Enkidu knew that he still needed to hold back. Perhaps his Master just doesn't grasp the obvious skill gap between the two of them. Not that it mattered to him, he was willing to help Subaru grow stronger in anyway possible.

"Alright Master, as you wish." Enkidu nodded his head in agreement. Dispelling the energy sword from his hand, the Servant took a deep breath and knelt onto the ground. Raising his head, he made his first attack obvious to Subaru. "Here I come!"

"Oh-!..."

-BOOM!-

Lightly pushing his feet off the ground, Enkidu took off like a hypersonic projectile towards its target. Leaving behind a vortex of strong winds, it was enough to function as a minor storm as it sent nearly uprooted the garden trees in the vicinity.

Not only did he break the sound barrier in less than a second, the aftershock generated by performing such a move sent the ground trembling in response to such display of power. Closing the gap between him and Subaru within mere milliseconds, the Servant reared himself and stopped right in front of his opponent.

Subaru couldn't mentally process what had just happened before his eyes. He hadn't even finished talking when Enkidu suddenly appeared in front of his face with a menacing look in his eyes. If he was being honest to himself, shitting bricks was a completely reasonable response to the situation.

Startling the teen with his sudden appearance, Subaru responded with a predictable move set and swung his sword to his defence. Crouching low, the Servant executed a sweeping motion with his feet and aimed upwards.

Swatting Subaru's sword aside with his bare feet alone, Enkidu recovered from the move so quickly that he was merely a blur. Appearing on eye level terms with Subaru, he sent a clenched fist towards the teen's abdomen but stopped mere inches away from connecting the hit.

Creating a howling vortex of wind from the momentum alone, the wind began to drag Subaru upwards into the air like was some weightless doll.

"Ahhh!" Subaru screamed out in fear as he was sent spiralling upwards, further away from the sweet embrace of the ground.

Feeling a pair of warm hands rest on his back, he noticed that Enkidu had joined him up here on his short flight. Recognizing the raw strength Enkidu possessed, a gut feeling within him told this was just a mere fraction of the Servant's power.

"So, shall we take a break?" Enkidu asked him with a playful smile.

"I think that's in due order." Subaru let out a relieved sigh.

A new feeling had overcome the teen. One of fear and respect, perhaps it was a good idea that Enkidu hold back on his powers. There was no way he could simply match someone of his calibre in this state.

To top it all off, he looked like an utter fool right now due to the way he was being carried. Clearly to onlookers, Subaru Natsuki was the damsel in distress and Enkidu was the brave Knight that came to rescue him.

As Enkidu landed on the soft grass, Subaru hopped out of his arms and began kissing and praising the Earth. He had never experienced such great fear of heights before until then.

"Subaru, are you okay?" Rem ran up to them with an awed expression on her face.

"Yeah, somehow I am." He told her with a sigh of relief. "But more importantly, I wasn't expecting that Enkidu." He gazed at the Servant.

Enkidu merely twirled his hair in a playful manner. "You told me not to hold back, so I did as you said. Although I still had to hold back regardless because I didn't want to kill you."

"Damn right, I thought I was going to die there." The teen joked about.

"Well, I suppose that's enough training for one night. I will be assuming my Spirit form now Master. If you'll excuse me." Enkidu bowed before departing.

"Wait, does that mean you have a time limit on how you can remain in the physical world?" Subaru asked.

"No that would be silly Master. I am merely retreating into this form because I want to. Nevertheless, I will still be present and watching over you." He told the teen before disappearing completely.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Subaru collapsed onto his arse and relaxed himself. A lot had just happened within a span of a few hours, yet he was surprisingly taking it well. Either way, now would be a good time to reflect on recent events.

"Subaru, may I join you?" Rem asked politely.

"Oh!...Of course!" He stuttered for a bit. How could he refuse such a request?

"Mmm." She nodded before sitting down next to him and arranging herself so that her thighs were joined together. "Come, lay your head down here Subaru." Rem gestured, indicating she wanted to rest his head on her lap.

"Huh? You want me to…? Is it alright?" Subaru hesitantly asked her.

"Just get your head over here silly." She told him before pulling him by the ear.

Lying down on the patchy field, Subaru felt himself be at ease for once. It felt nice, this feeling, this sensation. Resting your head on a girl's lap was truly one of the finest feelings in the world.

"You worked hard today Subaru." Rem told him a soft voice, her hands caressed his face and stroked his hair.

Appreciating the praise, Subaru could only let out a disappointed sigh. He had a long way to go if he wanted to be a strong hero, yet the path to that goal seemed long and hard. Truly it was quite the depressing experience and revelation.

He acted like an asshole, he stepped out of line and now this was the end result. He wasn't expecting any sort of remorse, he truly deserved any sort of punishment being inflicted on him right now. But that doesn't change the fact he was holding a lot of grudges right about now.

Avoiding her gaze, the teen could only offer silence in response to her praise since it was embarrassing of him to receive such notion.

"Hey, Rem…don't you think I'm pathetic?" He asked her.

"I do." The girl responded.

"Eh?! Seriously." Subaru was shocked with her reply. Yet there was truth in her words, he wasn't going to deny it. "Then why are you still here? Hanging out with a pathetic loser like me? Did someone tell you to?"

Rem merely smiled at the question, continuing to stroke Subaru's hair, she said. "The fact that I think you are a sore loser and me staying with you are not contradictory. Besides, even if I was told to not, I'm certain I would've remained by your side anyway."

"Why?" He asked with a heavy heart.

"Because I want too." She said with a warm smile.

Touched by her words, the teen had no idea how to respond to such feelings. Perhaps it was the best he kept quiet for now. Although this warm feeling that had been rising in his heart put him at ease, it was a good thing. He wanted to cherish this moment, with Rem, for as long as the world willed it.

"Hey, Subaru. Want to go into town tomorrow? There's some shopping that needs to be done, maybe walking about will help clear your mind." Rem suggested to him.

The teen merely offered silence in response, partly because he was unsure on how to handle the feelings he was experiencing right now.

* * *

Hearing the sounds of birds chirping loudly from beyond the window, Subaru slowly opened his eyes in response to the sound. Feeling the suns rays warm up his face he quickly shuffled to the other side of the bed to avoid it.

Rubbing his tired eyes, he let out a loud yawn before pulling his body out of the bed. Taking a few steps on the lavishly soft carpet, he grinded to a halt when he noticed he wasn't alone in the room. Sitting a few feet away from him was Enkidu.

Normally the Servant's appearance would entice a warm familiar presence, but it was different this time around. It was written all over his face, the serious look was nothing to be joked about, especially coming from Enkidu.

"Enkidu? Have you been waiting for me this whole time?" Subaru asked him with a half awaken face.

"Master, I have an important revelation." Enkidu told hit right off the bat.

"Eh? What's wrong? Did something bad happen?" Subaru asked him as he fully brought his attention to bear.

"I sense a Servant in the area. I can only assume the Class belongs to that of Caster due to the amount of mana being given off. The fact he is close by is making me uneasy, your orders?" Enkidu bombarded with all this information.

Standing still like a motionless doll, the teen hadn't the slightest clue on how to handle the situation. There were too many variables to consider, what was he going to do now? The enemy was at their doorstep for crying out loud!

"_Get a grip on yourself Subaru! This isn't the time to chicken out, now's the time to act!"_ He scolded himself. "Let's take this outside, I think we should discuss out next move with the others." He suggested to the Servant.

"Understood." Enkidu nodded.

Exiting the room, the duo found themselves walking down one of the long corridors. It was an eyesore that Roswaal had to decorate every damn thing in his Mansion. Almost as if he was indirectly screaming at his guests that he was filthy rich.

Walking next to Enkidu, the teen decided to form a makeshift plan on the fly. "First things first, we need to tell the others of the situation and go from there. Maybe they can offer an input-"

Trailing off from his sentence, the sound of footsteps garnered his attention which prompted him to shut up. Coming in from the opposite direction, it was none other than Emilia herself. Awed by her appearance, the teen couldn't help himself.

However, the atmosphere between the two was foul and amok. Clearly, they were still at odds against each other. It was also translated onto Emilia's actions as the moment she saw Subaru's face she quickly averted her gaze.

Passing by each other, it was made clear to Subaru that the girl wanted nothing to do with him. Something arose within the teen at that moment, something foolish, reckless even. Whatever it was, it simple wasn't a good thing in anybody's mind. Except this was Subaru Natsuki, it made sense to him.

"_Don't worry about the throne anymore…"_ The words rang in his head constantly whenever he thought of her. Like hell he would simply forget about the Throne! If anything, he'll make his first move and prove to the world he isn't some pushover anymore.

Screw this waiting around, he could do something here, he could solve a long-awaited problem without a hitch. He was going to prove his worth right here, right now. The desire to rub it into everyone's face that he wasn't just a nobody seethed within.

"Master? You were saying something?" Enkidu cocked his head to one side as he wondered why Subaru had suddenly stopped talking.

Subaru merely lowered his head, the atmosphere around him shifted into a moody one. Something had changed within the teen, whether it was for the better or for the worse was something to be seen.

"Enkidu, we're going to destroy that Servant. Let's make haste, we can't let them escape." Subaru straightened his jacket before trotting forward.

"Heh? Wait Master, I thought we were going-"

"That will be unnecessary Enkidu, the others don't need to know of our activities." Subaru waved his hand.

"Oh, I see." He nodded in response.

Snaking their way down the steps and through the halls. The two of them arrived at the front of the building. Seeing Rem waiting at the bottom of the steps, she greeted them with a welcoming smile.

"Good morning Subaru. Are you ready to head off into town?" She asked him eagerly.

Stopping in front of her, the teen debated internally if he should tell Rem or not. If anything, she was the only other person in this household he'd share the situation with right now. But asking her to come along on something potentially dangerous and life threatening was not his place to make for her.

"Listen Rem," Subaru began as he took her hands into his. "There's an enemy Servant nearby, we don't know when they're going to attack, but we're going to prevent them from ever getting the chance." He sternly told her.

"Huh?! The enemy is already here?" Her eyes flared up into a murderous pattern.

"I'm not asking you to do anything Rem, I'm just asking you to leave things to me and Enkidu. I know it isn't my place to ask you this." He paused, taking in a deep breath before proceeding with the request. "But I'm asking you if you'll lend us a hand, if not, I understand completely. You shouldn't have to risk your life for a loser like me."

Rem merely stared in shock at Subaru's words. While it was touching, she was presented with a choice, it didn't matter to her as she'd gladly follow Subaru to the ends of the world if it meant supporting him. The fact he had to ask for her help was silly in and of itself.

Meanwhile, Enkidu stood to one side with an uncertain look on his face. Bringing his Master into battle was already a bad move but bringing Rem along would just double the trouble. Even if it was against Caster, he still wouldn't endanger his Master and friend.

But that wasn't a choice for him to make, he could very well voice his concern but in the end, it depended on his Master. In any case, he would do his ultimate best to protect the two of them. What good would he be if he couldn't protect two people, let alone humanity?

"Master, are you sure this is a wise idea? You can send me alone and I shall take care of the enemy myself. There is no need for you to join me." Enkidu raised his hand in suggestion.

"Don't say such ridiculous things Enkidu. I am going to join you and witness the destruction of our enemies personally. Besides, if we have you around, the enemy stands no chance!" He boasted.

Enkidu merely sighed at his Master's brash response. He would honour his request and would do so until the end. "Very well, if you insist Master."

"Alright, we ready to go?" Subaru asked the team, to which they all responded with determined nods. "Let's move out then!"

Walking past the grand doors of the building, they stepped out onto the stone-built porch. Wondering how they were going to get to the enemy, Enkidu answered that question by wrapping his arms around the two firmly.

Slowly rising upwards away from the ground, the Servant gently elevated himself with his cargo secured safely in his grip. Tilting his body forward, he began drifting forward with his speed increasing with each passing second.

Before long, the group was zooming over the Kremaldy Forest at reasonable speeds. Seeing just how vast the area was, it dwarfed the Roswaal estate and seemed to swallow everything else in sight. The fact his belonged to one man showed how wealthy he was.

Approaching their destination, Enkidu began their descent and landed in a small clearing. Setting down his two passengers, he gave a quick assessment of the situation. To his fears, he had been spotted long before they set down.

The place reeked of magical runes, clearly the enemy was tight on security. But the lack of traps or any guards was unsettling. This was clearly a trap, but it wasn't going to stop Enkidu from performing his duty.

"There, I sense the enemy Master is within that structure." Enkidu pointed to the worn-down Incan style structure.

"How are we going to approach this?" Subaru asked in a low voice as he peered through the thick vegetation.

"It depends, if our enemy is holed up inside, the most efficient method is to bring the entire structure down on top of them. But I sense something else within, there are multiple life forms inside, children too…" Enkidu trailed off at the disturbing revelation.

"Children? What are they doing here?!" Subaru asked in shock.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it cannot be good. I'm sensing large amounts of mana flowing through the place. I fear the worst has already happened to the children." Enkidu shook his head.

"Eh?! Still, we have to rescue them. We can't just bring the whole place down and kill innocent children!" Subaru protested.

"Ho!? What are you rats doing on my property?! Don't you know it's rude to trespass!" A rough voice beckoned to them from behind.

Turning their attention to the source, the trio was met with a tall figure who wore the strangest ornaments. His facial features were completely different compared to a normal human, with his eyes being the most noticeable as they were about to pop from their sockets.

"What I do with these children is none of your concern. Only the Lord shall judge my actions, outsiders have no say with what I do!" He angrily pointed a finger at them.

"I take it you are Caster? It is an honour to finally meet my first opponent." Enkidu told the man in a serious tone. Moving in front of Subaru and Rem, his intentions were broadcasted in broad daylight towards the deranged man.

"Ho?! I see now, such beautiful facial features, an elegant body style that only a perfect being could possess. Oh, and that hair! Such beauty and grace, gimme, gimme, gimme ,gimme!" Caster raged uncontrollably as his mouth began to foam up.

"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline your advances. I cannot simply hand myself over when I belong to my Master." Enkidu bluntly told the mad figure.

Caster merely grinned ever harder, closing the book in his hand, he took a deep breath and said. "I wasn't asking for your cooperation. Your body will be mine!" Following his declaration, the area around them was filled with monstrous entities that using words to describe them wouldn't do them justice.

Bursting forth from the ground, they squealed and squirm like newborn babies ready to feast on the nearest thing that looked edible. Twisted beyond imagination, they reflected the mental state of Caster himself.

"What a nuisance." Enkidu remarked as he rested the palm of his hand on the ground.

Burst of magical energy surged throughout the air, causing it to cackle in a manner similar to lightning. Unleashing that pent-up energy, the ground that the daemonic entities were once standing erupted into a golden fiery blaze.

Wiping out the opposing force in less than a few seconds, the entire event itself lasted less than five seconds if one were to time it. Surprising Caster with such efficiency, it merely strengthened his sinister smile which grew even larger.

Stunned by what happened next, the corpses of the deceased monsters began to twitch and squirm as even more tentacles sprouted from their remains. Proliferating at an alarming rate, the same monstrous tide came back and in doubled numbers.

"Interesting." Enkidu remarked as he counted the enemy's numbers.

"Subaru, we're surrounded." Rem alerted the teen as she readied her morning star.

"I can see that, Enkidu, got any plans?" Subaru asked the Servant but quickly held his hands over his mouth after recognising what he had just done.

"Master!" Enkidu glared at him, realising he had given away his true name.

"Ho?! Enkidu? The legendary Enkidu!? My, my, my body is writhing for your gracious touch. To be graced by the presence of one of the living weapons during the Age of Gods, I am truly honoured!" Caster bowed deeply. "That just makes me want to inspect every inch of your body, I want to know how you tick down there!"

"Shit!" Subaru covered his mouth, realising the grave error he had just committed. "Enki-I mean Lancer, I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry Master, I'll dispatch the enemy and end things here. I'll make sure he takes my name to the grave!" Enkidu declared as he summoned forth a wave of energy bolts.

Firing the projectiles en mass, it bombarded the row of daemonic beasts in front on him. Clearing a path towards Caster he saw his chance and decided to end things here.

"Subaru, look out!" Rem called out as she swung her morning star to defend the teen from a prying tentacle.

Distracted by the cries for his Master, the path that he had created had been quickly repopulated by more monsters. They truly were a plague upon this land, multiplying rapidly and replenishing their ranks in a few seconds. Something must be backing their ability to proliferate at this rate.

Analysing the situation, it finally clicked within Enkidu's head. Noticing the book that Caster grasped close to his chest, it must've been the source for this endless nightmare. It was simple, all he had to do was cut down the owner and everything else would fall apart.

While Enkidu was busy forming the quickest and most efficient route to eliminate Caster, Subaru had his own crazy ideas and was going to see them brought to fruition. He thought while Enkidu was distracting Lancer, he and Rem would break through and go after Caster's Master. Hitting two birds with one stone, it was the perfect plan!

"Lancer! Me and Rem are going after Caster's Master!" Subaru told the Servant.

Shocked at Subaru's plan, the Servant turned his head to see Rem blasting her way through the horde and towards the run-down temple. This was bad, being separated from his Master and not to mention they are walking into unknown territory, this was bad!

"Wait, Master! Don't go in there alone, it could be a trap!" Enkidu called out to the teen.

"How do we know Caster isn't stalling time for his Master to escape? We need to stop both of them here now, even if Caster's Master were to lose his Servant, there's no telling if he'll come back to attack us. That's why we need to act now." Subaru yelled at the Servant at the top of his lungs before disappearing inside with Rem in tow.

"But….." The Servant trailed off, realising it was futile for him to keep suggesting a proper approach. Everything Subaru has done up until now has been the direct opposite of what he has been taught to do. There was no efficiency, coordination was non-existent and common sense had been thrown out the window. Was he the reason why things are going this way? Did he not properly convey his intentions and concerns? These actions truly are the result of a defective weapon.

"Wonderful, we're all alone out here Lancer. Let us play some more, I want to see how COOL YOU ARE!" Caster spread his arms out, like a man willing to risk it all.

"Master, Rem. Please wait for me, I beg of you." Enkidu silently prayed as he leapt forward, beginning his attack that would end all of this.

/…/

Inside the dimly lit cavern, the duo, Subaru and Rem, snaked their way through in hopes of stumbling across Caster's Master. Even though they had wondered deeply into the cave, the sounds of Enkidu and Caster battling it out outside could still be felt within.

As another powerful explosion shook the walls, small debris began falling down, making the task of navigating through the place even more hazardous. If that was the least of their concerns, the screams and wails of children rang throughout the cave as they begged to go home to their parents.

"Come on Rem, we're almost there!" Subaru said as he ran ahead, completely oblivious to any threat.

Realising it was pointless to warn the teen, Rem merely followed hastily, doing her best to defend the boy from any harm.

It was true, they were close now as the screams and wails grew even louder. One more bend and they would be right on top of where the children were. Seeing a small glimmer of light at the end of the path, the duo picked up the pace and entered a new part of the cavern.

Stunned by the scenes they witnessed; it was close enough to drive Subaru into throwing up whatever he had in his stomach. As the teen held a hand over his mouth, he tried to stomach the scenes that beset him.

Lying on elevated tables and strapped down against their will, several tubes ran down from the ceilings and injected their subjects in various locations. Whatever type of horror the two of them had discovered rocked them to their very core.

The fact that these were only children sickened Subaru even more, he wanted to end it all yet was too shocked to move. Some of them were even missing limbs yet were still hooked up like they weren't meant to be wasted. To top it off, they were all alive, eyes open and aware of what was happening to them.

"H-Help…m-me…." A child croaked at them, his eyes begging them to end his suffering.

"I-I can't" Subaru replied in a low voice, his legs were shaking uncontrollably, to the point he was about to collapse from the horrendous sight.

"Subaru, there's someone at the end of the room!" Rem pointed; her morning star ready to smite any foe.

Wrapping a hand around Subaru, the girl made it her priority to move the teen past the atrocious laboratory and towards the end of the room. They can't stop now, not when the enemy is so close.

Stopping past the last table, Subaru kept his head low, still breathing heavily as he tried to process whatever fucked up shit he just saw. Children of all things, to be used like living batteries was one of the worst fates you could impose on a child.

"Oh, oh my! We have guests. Wonderful, kukuku!" A sinister voice greeted them from the end of the room.

"Subaru, get up!" Rem told the teen as she readied her weapon.

"Ahhhh! Such hostile intent from the get-go! Don't you know who walks amongst us? You wouldn't murder an innocent child, now would you?" The man chuckled as he gestured to the kids gathered around him, all with terrified looks on their faces.

"Let them go you freak!" Subaru clenched his fists in anger.

As the mysterious man tilted his head at a ninety-degree angle, the bones holding together snapped like a twig. Sporting a mischievous smile, he thrived off Subaru's response. "Why sure, you'll do the honours of collecting them after all. Hear that kids? You can go now!" He gestured to them to run towards the duo.

As the kids ran while crying, there was about a dozen of them and they all swarmed them. Bawling their eyes out and begging to go home, Subaru could only offer a half-baked smile as he tried to calm them down.

It was at this moment Rem responded in the most bizarre manner. "Subaru, look out, get away from them!" She cried out before yanking the teen away and tossing him aside.

Landing on the cold rough rocky surface, the teen landed arse first and could only wonder in confusion as to why Rem would do that. However, what followed next would forever scar the young adult.

As one of the children that was initially hugging Subaru began screaming out in pain, his back began to rupture as tentacles sprung forth like it was hatching from a sac. Killing the child instantly, the other children followed suit as they began to scream and cry out in pain.

Sooner or later, their dying screams were soon silenced as the sounds of broken bone and flesh being torn apart echoed throughout the cavern. It was the same for all of them, hideous tentacles and an eldritch horror for a body was what emerged from the corpses.

Emitting a high-pitched scream, the monsters immediately dove towards Rem and wrapped their slimy tentacles all around her body. Piling on top of each other, they were planning to suffocate her on the spot.

"REM!" Subaru cried out with an outstretched hand.

Within the next second, foreign blood splattered everywhere as a metal wrecking ball sprung forth from the mountain of horrors. Emerging from the corpses, Rem's horn glowed brightly as she leapt into the air and began wreaking havoc with her Morning Star.

Smashing and swinging with brute force, she completely obliterated the emerging threat. Re-joining Subaru, her entire attire was covered in monster blood and slime.

However, they weren't out of the woods yet, the monsters that were cut down earlier began to regenerate and sprung back into action. Surrounding the duo, there was no way out unless they fought their way through.

"Fufufu, marvellous, truly you both are wonderful! You have shown me such a wonderful performance it makes me jittery in the inside!" The man cackled madly as he hugged his body. "I love it! Love, love, love, love, love LOVE IT!" He declared while bending his back beyond normal proportions.

"You sick bastard." Rem said in disgust.

"Oh! That wasn't very nice of you young lady!" The man reprimanded her. "More, I demand more lady! Entertain me some more!" He laughed like a broken record, truly he was off his rockers.

Falling for his bait, Rem swung her Morning Star and broke through the ranks that had been defending the man. Leaping through the gap, her horn flared up and her eyes bore a murderous look in them. Bringing her weapon to bear, she had the man right where she wanted him.

For Subaru however, he saw that it was a trap and tried to warn her of the incoming attack he could see. "Rem! Watch out for his hands!" He cried out.

"EH!?" The man simply screamed through his closed mouth.

"Huh?!" The girl wondered in confusion as she saw nothing, but it was already too late.

Feeling an invisible force grab multiple points in her body, she was completely suspended in the air. Confused by the sudden attack, the girl wiggle and squirmed as she tried her best to break free but to no avail.

"REM, GET OUT OF THERE!" Subaru cried out as he tried to rush towards her but was blocked by a wall of tentacles.

Before he knew it, the hands that were holding Rem suddenly moved in a split motion. Breaking her neck, the sound of her bones snapping made a distinct echo throughout the cavern. What followed next was more body disfiguration as her arms and legs were completely broken and twisted in a hellish manner.

"Oops!" The man laughed manically as he covered his hand with his mouth.

It was at this moment all logic and reasoning completely overtook Subaru. Fuelled only by pure hatred and anger, the teen screamed at the top of his lungs as he charged towards the mysterious man.

"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOUR HEAR ME BTICH! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" He screamed while continuing his charge.

Armed with nothing but his fists and his rage, he came into contact with the first daemonic beasts and swung a hard-clenched fist at it. Knocking its tentacle away, the beast responded in kind by screaming at the teen.

Smacking the teen with another of its tentacle, it sent the young adult stumbling backwards. Flinging one of its limbs towards the young adult, it protruded spikes from its suction cups and wrapped it around his left arm. Within a flash, it dismembered his limb and drew it back towards its mouth and swallowed its catch.

Feeling a sharp tinge of pain come from his left side, he looked over and saw that his arm had been completely removed from its spot. Unable to produce any proper words, only incoherent babbling came out as he struggled to come to grips with what happened.

Collapsing onto the cold hard floor, Subaru could feel himself slowly passing out due to the sudden loss of blood. Clutching the spot, he could only howl in pain as he anticipated his demise.

Seeing a pair of black hands emerge from the grounds out of the corner of his eyes, the teen attempted one last time to move. But it was already over, before he knew it, a firm grip had been established on multiple points on his body.

Feeling his body become lighter, the multiple hands that held him hoisted him off the floor and suspended him just high enough that he was on eye level with the madman that killed Rem. He couldn't keep this up much longer, just staying awake was taking a toll already.

"Interesting, interesting, interesting! You have her smell, oh how wonderful!" The man exclaimed happily. As a sinister grin formed over his face, his shrewd fingers grazed Subaru's cheek as if he was admiring his freshly caught prey. Extending his tongue, he promptly sloshed the muscular organ all over the teen's face.

"G-Get of me!..." Subaru barked at the man, his face riddled with anger as he tried to struggle with the mysterious hands.

Wearing a satisfied smile, he giggled in a low voice as he studied Subaru's emotion riddled face. "Her scent, she has a strong scent over you. I'm jealous, where's my love? Love, love, love love!" He pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about cunt. Let me go, and I'll break your shitty face!" Subaru growled.

"Oh, like what I did to this girl?" The man snickered as he raised Rem's body into the air. As the dark limbs moved by themselves, they began twisting various limbs on Rem's body like she was a plaything. Her head spun around in place, breaking all the bones that held it in place audibly.

"S-Stop, STOP, STOP IT! STOP IT YOU FREAK!" Subaru screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Fufufu, how cute. You truly are slothful my boy. How you managed to see my Hands is beyond me, but I can't afford to muck around here." The man told him while chewing on his fingers. "Just know that I, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti was the one that sent you to you grave. Have at him boys!"

At the cue of their Master's orders the hands that were suspending the teen immediately loosened their grip. Within seconds, The daemonic beasts all came together to pounce on Subaru like starving dogs. He could feel his body being chewed up slowly, like he was nothing but bait towards these things.

"_No way, I'm gonna die, I'm going to fucking die!"_ Subaru realised the state he was in right now. He killed Rem, he truly killed her. And now he was going to suffer the same fate. _"Rem, Enkidu, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."_

"UNHAND HIM!" A familiar voice bellowed throughout the cavern.

Following the voice, the sound of chains rustling filled the air. Within a heartbeat, multiple golden ornate chains appeared from the dark and completely skewered the monsters covering Subaru.

Straight after their entry, a series of golden projectiles flew through the narrow passageway and bombarded the position where Petelgeuse once stood. Catching the man off guard, it was safe to say the explosion blew him away.

As if Enkidu was taking any chances and unleashed his divine fury upon the man. Summoning a wave all around the man, they anchored him in place while shooting themselves at the same time. Conjuring forth another wave of explosive projectiles, the Servant fired another volley and they hit true to home.

As more explosions ruptured inside the cavern, the entire place was rocked to its core as the magnitude of the blast was enough to bring the place crashing down. As the smoke and dust settled, the body of Petelgeuse lay suspended in the air as his upper body had been completely obliterated.

"Master!" Enkidu called out as he rushed to the teen's aid.

Picking the boy up, he held him close to his body as he analysed the situation. One severed limb and multiple deep wounds and cuts littered his body. To top it all off, he had lost a lot of blood, maybe if he rushed back help could be administered in time.

"Hold on Master, I'll get you some help." Enkidu began as he was about to lift up the teen.

For a while, it felt really cold all around him. The teen knew what was coming, the pain had all but devolved into numbness. Yet the sound of a familiar voice kept him awake, it kept him alive.

_"Who's...there?...En...ki...du...is that_ you?..._" _The teen asked himself as he felt a warm sensation embracing him. A pair of green eyes stood over him, filled with gentleness.

"Master, please, hang in there, I will see to your wounds." Enkidu protested.

Feeling a tug on his sleeve, he looked down and saw Subaru looking at him, the life in his eyes fading away quickly. "….N-no…leave me…" He croaked, begging the Servant to leave him behind.

Subaru tried to squeeze the words out of his mouth but couldn't find the strength to do so. Instead, he merely shook his head and accepted his fate. Pouring every ounce of strength he had left, he raised his hand and rested it on Enkidu's cheek.

It was warm, so warm, he craved it for some reason. Maybe its because he was dying, that he hadn't much time left before his soul would be whisked away. Perhaps at the very least, the last sensation he could feel was something warm.

"…Y-You…were a good…human…Enkidu…s-sorry…" He told the Servant in a coarse manner, his breath slipping with every word.

The words hit Enkidu like a giant boulder. He had failed, he had failed to protect his Master, his sworn duty and yet he failed. What good of a weapon was he? After all he was a failed weapon, he deserved that title!

"Master!..." Enkidu cried out as he clung onto Subaru's body. Seeing the light in his eyes fade away, his hand slipped from his cheek and collapsed onto his body.

Understanding what had just transpired, the Servant merely cradled the lifeless body in his arms. If anything, he would continue to do so until he disappeared. While the bond between them was short lived, Subaru made quite the impression on Enkidu.

For a powerless human like him, to be filled with such determination and resolve that rivalled even some of the strongest warriors. That's what stood out to the Servant. From the moment he was summoned, he understood how weak his Master was, yet he continued to stay by his side simply due to the strong willpower he had.

"…Thank you, Subaru Natsuki..." Enkidu told him sincerely, he meant those words.


	4. Chapter 4

"-_gasp!-_" Subaru awoke with a start, sweat visible running down the sides of his face. His heartbeat sprang into a frenzy, his breathing turned rapid.

"Master, are you alright?!" Enkidu rushed up to him, his face full of concern as he noticed the teen's condition.

As Subaru turned his head slowly to face the Servant, memories of his previous life began pouring in like an endless torrent. Enkidu's face was being overridden into that disappointed expression he had in that cave.

Stunned by the events, the teen let out a small yelp as the memories became too much for him to handle. At this rate, he was going to go mad, the amount of uncontrolled emotions raging about sent his brain into overdrive.

Hearing a knock on the door, a voice excused itself before opening the door. Revealing the owner of the voice to be none other than Rem, Subaru darted his eyes towards the figure and expressed immense shock.

Waves of trauma enveloped his mind as the scenes of Rem being mangled and twisted replayed itself like an endless loop. The laugh that was emitted by Petelgeuse, the helpless feeling he had when all he could do was watch on. It all came crashing down like a wrecking ball.

"R-Rem….R-Rem…" Subaru muttered uncontrollably, as if he saw a ghost.

The mind of Subaru Natsuki couldn't handle it anymore. The appearance of Rem was the straw that broke the camel's back. Sending his mind into a frenzied state, the brain did what it only thought was right and shut everything down, including Subaru himself.

As the teen collapsed back onto the bed, the last sounds he heard was Enkidu and Rem calling out to him before everything went blank.

"Subaru, Subaru. Subaru!" Rem shook the boy as she called out his name.

"This is bad, Master, can you hear me! Master!" The Servant cried out but to no avail.

As the two figures surrounded the motionless body, Subaru merely laid in his bed with his eyelids open. It was clear he had gone into a state of shock, nothing short of strong magic was going to pull him out. But even then, it would be a risky move.

"Please look after him, I'll go and get help." Rem said before hastily leaving the room.

Moving closer to his Master's side, the Servant gently picked up the teen's hand and studied his condition. There was no doubt about it, his Master had gone into a severe state of shock. Whether it was something they boy could come back out from was an entirely different matter.

The sound of multiple footsteps echoed outside the door as they drummed in closer. Bursting first into the room was the concerned face of a half-elf girl followed promptly by a blue haired maid.

"Subaru!" Emilia called out as she approached the motionless body.

Hearing her breathing increase with each passing second, Emilia didn't bother to hide the fact she was becoming distressed by the situation. Rem merely stayed at the foot of the bed, her face in shock as she tried to understand how Subaru could've ended up in such a state.

Holding the boy's hand in her own, Emilia tried to make sense of the situation while combating her own internal feelings. She had to remain calm and come up with a solution, if she lost herself it would be over for Subaru.

"Puck, can you do anything to help?" Emilia asked the spirit.

"I'll have a looksie, but don't hold your breath." The Artificial Spirit replied as he emerged from behind Emilia's hair. Landing on top of Subaru's forehead, the little magic user went about his best to bring the teen back into the fold.

As several minutes went by and more probing was done, Puck finished casting his magic with a disappointed look on his face. Turning to Emilia, he silently shook his head at the unsuccessful attempt.

"Sorry Lia, this is beyond anything magic can fix. Whatever Subaru experienced, it sent him into a complete state of shock. Only something traumatic can reproduce these effects, as to what it was, I haven't the slightest clue." Puck told everyone in the room.

Emilia let out a sad sigh, "Thank you Puck, you've done enough."

"No problem, glad I could help. Poor Subaru, he really must've seen some _disturbing_ things." The Spirit commented before disappearing.

As the room returned back into a silent state, everyone that was present wore a puzzled look on their face. What could they possibly do next? If magic couldn't solve Subaru's case, then what else? Would calling in a medical professional offer any alternatives?

For a particular being in the room, an alarming thought stirred in his mind for the past few minutes already. He wasn't sure of it, but it definitely was there, the aura of another person or thing. It was radiating from Subaru's body, the scent was overflowing and spreading everywhere.

On top of that, he had another dangerous matter to report on hand. While everyone else was asleep, the presence of another Servant made themselves clear in his presence detection. The signature belonged to that of a Caster class Servant with the amount of mana being exerted.

Originally his Master was to be the first to receive this report, but now that the teen had fallen ill who was he supposed to tell next? All logic dictated he should notify his Master's closest friends of the impending danger, but whether it was the right move stopped him from doing so.

What a predicament indeed, perhaps some more time should be put into his next move. For now, he should continue monitoring Caster's location and see how things develop. Should the enemy make a move, he will act on his own accord and defend his Master.

"Rem, can you please look after Subaru? I'll look around and make some arrangements to see if his case can be treated. "Emilia asked the girl.

"Of course, I'll make sure he is well looked after." Rem bowed obediently.

As Emilia left the room with a heavy face, the door closed behind her leaving Enkidu and Rem alone to tend to Subaru. Moving closer towards the boy, Rem gently sat down next him and caressed his hand gently.

"Hang in there Subaru…" She whispered to the teen.

"While I have only been in this world for a day, my Master seems to be quite the strong-willed person." Enkidu offered some words of comfort.

"He is, I know it." She told him with a small smile on her face.

Standing up and dusting her outfit, the girl promptly made herself presentable again and prepared to leave the room. "I'll have to prepare lunch with my Sister, which means I'll be also feeding Subaru in the meantime. Will you be staying here Enkidu?"

The Servant tilted his head to one side as he wondered what he would be doing to pass the time. Frankly speaking, he hadn't thought that far yet which meant he could be doing anything in a few hours' time. "Maybe, in the event I leave the room I will make sure to not stray far from my Master."

"Very well, if you'll excuse me." The girl bowed courteously before closing the door behind her.

Turning his attention back to his Master, Enkidu approached the young adult and rested his hand on the teen's forehead. While there was no sign of any sickness, Subaru's state was no laughing matter, whatever help Emilia was going to enlist, it'd better be worth it.

"A strange phenomenon indeed." Enkidu sighed as he stepped away from the teen. "Perhaps a stroll in the garden to pass the time is in due order."

* * *

A few good hours have gone by since the unfortunate incident befell the mansion this morning. While it was something nobody could've predicted, the results they were left with was neither comforting. Regrettably, very little could be done in Subaru's case as not many experts were well versed in treating traumatized patients.

In any case, the best that could be done for Subaru was making sure he was well fed and watched over for any more symptoms. This would continue on until Emilia would provide an update on whether she was successful in seeking aid for Subaru's case.

"This Earth is really a wonderful place!" Enkidu exclaimed as his feet massaged the soft grass beneath him. The sounds of various living beings inhabiting the forest spoke n overlapping chatter, all of it brought joy to the Servant. "Truly this world has its fair share of fascinating creatures, even the humans here are a refreshing sight." He spoke to himself.

Collapsing onto the soft grass, the Servant raised an arm above his eyes as the warm sun caressed his skin. The eve of the afternoon had long passed by, perhaps the nap he took earlier explained the sudden jump in time.

"It was a nice to learning about this planet, but I guess it's about time I make my leave and check on my Master." Enkidu said softly as he sat upright. "Maybe I should pay Emilia a visit, ask her if she had any luck securing aid for my Master."

Just as the Servant was about to pull himself up, he sensed the presence of a figure approaching him from behind. Recognizing who it belonged to, he promptly turned his head to greet the figure.

"Hello there, Enkidu." Emilia greeted him energetically, which was rather odd considering the mood she was in earlier. Seeing that she brought a tray of refreshments, Enkidu could only predict what her motive was.

"Likewise Emilia." He nodded in response to her greetings.

"May I join you?" She asked politely.

"Please, by all means." He gestured to the patch of grass next to him.

Settling herself down next to the Servant, the girl began pouring what seemed to be hot tea into the cups. Handing him a cup, he graciously accepted her offer and took the glass into his hands.

Before ingesting the contents, the Servant had a curious look on his face as he studied the captivating design and ornaments that had gone into this teacup. It was extremely lavish to the point it belonged in some treasury rather than his clay hands.

"Human artistry never ceases to amaze me after all these years." Enkidu remarked as he took a sip from the contents within.

"Mmmm, there are many talented artists in Lugnica." Emilia agreed with his statement.

"With that being said, did you need something from me?" The Servant jumped straight to the point.

Emilia simply lowered her cup slowly, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Can you spare a moment to talk?" She asked while looking at him in the eyes.

Enkidu pondered on the request for a bit, while he had planned to converse with her, he also wasn't the type to turn down a conversation. Especially if it involved conversing with a half human hybrid.

"Sure, why not." He accepted her request sincerely, taking in more of the drink.

"Really!? Then you don't me asking a few questions along the way?" Her eyes lit up like a star.

"I don't mind, conversing with Humans is always a welcoming experience." Enkidu remarked as he put himself into a relaxed position. Finishing the contents inside the cup, he instinctively put the object in his mouth and ate it.

"Is t-that so?..." Emilia wore a curious look as she wondered what Enkidu meant by that. Completely oblivious to what had just happened.

Waiting for Emilia to begin firing away with her questions, there was a long period of silence that settled between the two. Perhaps he was supposed to get the ball rolling? "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Enkidu began as he faced the girl who, all of a sudden, tried to hide her face.

"S-Somehow I forgot what I was going to a-ask…" She stammered. For some odd reason, Emilia of all people was acting nervous in front of Enkidu. Normally she was fine conversing with strangers, but this, this was something else.

Did his presence throw her off? Was he too intimidating towards her? Was it something he said earlier that resulted in her behaving like this? All these thoughts ran through Enkidu's head as he kept studying the girl.

"Is something wrong?" He casually asked her.

"No, I'm fine, I'm just trying to remember what I was going to ask you. The memory is such a fickle thing." She chuckled.

"Is that so?" Enkidu narrowed his eyes as his curiosity peaked even further. "I find you quite the interesting person Emilia, truly you fascinate me." The words casually left his mouth.

Emilia's cheeks visibly turned a slight shade of red as she heard those words. She had heard a similar phrase or so from Subaru, but to hear it come from another stranger was a welcoming surprise. "Really, what makes you so interested in me?"

Enkidu place a finger to his chin as he pondered on the question. "For some odd reason you stand out to me, and not in a bad way too. Maybe because its my first time interacting with a half-elf in this life. What an exciting experience!"

"That's good to hear." Emilia smiled at the response as she toyed with her hair.

"But that's not what you came here for is it?" Enkidu sat upright again and faced her. "Come on, spill it out, what did you come to me for." He rested his hand on his cheek, eager to listen. Not once did that curious look of his falter.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm not going to remember my questions…!" She told him in a flustered manner.

"Alright, would you like me to look away then while you sort out yourself out?" He asked her.

"That's right! Don't look at me unless I tell you I'm ready!" She folded her arms and pouted angrily.

"As you wish then." Enkidu chuckled softly as he strayed his gaze.

Silence enveloped them again with the calm nurturing breeze sweeping through. "It's about Subaru, I wanted to talk about him for a bit."

"Sure, what's on your mind?" He returned his gaze towards her.

A brief sigh escaped the girls mouth as she wondered where to begin. Perhaps she could start by talking about this morning's unusual event. "Do you know how he ended up like that? To be sent into a state of shock through a traumatic trigger. Did something happen? Something I was unaware of?" She asked, treading lightly with her words.

Enkidu shook his head silently in response, of all the things that happened last night up until now, nothing out of the ordinary happened. If something did happen, he would've surely picked up on it.

Now that he thought about, the fact that Caster made his appearance in the area last night and Subaru suffering a traumatic shock the next morning wasn't exactly coincidental at all. Maybe he was reading in too much, but the possibility was still there.

If anything, that theory held no weight anyway since any sort of magic based attack would've been picked up by him. In the end he was in the same boat as everyone else, baffled and dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events.

"So, you don't have a clue as well? I was hoping you had something at least." Emilia sighed in defeat as she brought her knees up and closer to her body. "I'm starting to think it's my fault, maybe what I said must've affected him that much." Her voice was low, stained partially with regret. "Tell me Enkidu, did I really hurt Subaru that much?" She asked him sincerely.

The Servant paused himself before jumping straight to a response. For one, he hadn't a clue about the relationship between Emilia and his Master. While it wasn't that hard to decipher, the two obviously shared some form of closeness between them.

It just so happened that during the time he was summoned, the two had already been through some unsavoury events. Beyond that, he hadn't the faintest idea if the words that Emilia said to his Master really affected him that much.

"Well, I can't speak for my Master, but it did seem to trouble him for the most part. I'm assuming something else must've been on his mind, but the possibility of the emotional exchange you two had no doubt would've been sitting there." Enkidu let out a tired sigh, all this talk of emotion wasn't exactly his forte. Yet he was willing to lend an ear in better hopes of understanding such complex functions.

"I knew it, I really did play a part in contributing to his current state." Emilia scratched her head in frustration. Looking back on things now, she could've handled things much better back then.

"I wouldn't say so, if anything, you shouldn't blame yourself for something you had no part in yet because you don't have all the pieces." The Servant advised her, in a bid to shift her negative thoughts.

"Y-You're right, I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions yet." She nodded firmly. "But a part of me still feels like I was responsible for this morning's outcome." She shook her head in disappointment.

"Well, I suppose that's what just happens." He said while lying down on the grass. "Tell me, why were you upset with my Master gaining control over me? If anything, you have it better than perhaps the other participants since your life isn't in immediate danger."

"That's not it." She replied abruptly. "Everything I have done in my life, has led to this moment. To achieve victory above everyone else and to claim the throne through my own hard work is something I have always dreamt of. Now that opportunity has risen, and it has been taken away from me. Call me selfish, but what was supposed to be rightfully mine was stolen, instead, it landed in the hands of that boy. I just wanted achieve the biggest goal in my life through my own hands, to not rely on others so carelessly." Small droplets of tears began to roll down her face. "Now I don't have any hope of achieving it. For once I just wanted to do things on my own. Its shameless how I'll be using a young boy to fight for me, to put him through life threatening situations. I just can't live with that." She wiped the tears away at the same time trying to maintain her composure.

Enkidu lay silently on the grass, unable to offer a quick response to the female. There was some truth in her words, needless to say, it was alright to be selfish here and there. But the idea of achieving your goals without some form of support was ridiculous. There will always be those out there supporting you regardless if you're aware of it or not. That was one thing he had learnt throughout his life.

"Listen Emilia, I may come off as harsh right now, but I may as well offer my thoughts on your situation. You sure have an ambitious goal, but it seems fate has a twisted sense of humour and gave you this option instead." Enkidu offered a small smile. "But it'd be impossible for you to achieve this goal without relying on others, that's just the way this has been set up. You can still achieve your goal of ascending the Throne, but you're going to have to rely on others to get to it whether you like it or not. Sounds to me like you need to ease up a bit." He snickered at the thought that he just gave advice to a human in such a long time.

"Eh? Are you serious?" She asked him in a dumbfounded manner.

"Don't take every word out of me to heart, after all I am merely a failed weapon of the gods with no form of humanity. Take it with a pinch of clay." He told her.

"I guess so, perhaps I'll think more about it later." She nodded to herself.

Glancing up at the sky, the stars began to show themselves faintly. In any case, it told Enkidu that the sun was about to dip below the horizon and give way to a new night. Time sure flies when you're enjoying it.

"Care to join me for a quick walk?" He stood up quickly and outstretched a hand.

"Huh? Are we going for a hike?" She furrowed a curious brow as she accepted the helping hand.

"Nothing of the sorts, it's quite the short trip really." He chuckled softly before taking the lead.

Exiting through the large gate and trekking away from the mansion, the Servant quickly took a detour from the main road and onto a gravel pathway. From the looks of it, the dirt track was rarely used at all with the occasional fauna passing by every now and then.

"We should be there soon." Enkidu pointed up ahead.

While it was pretty obvious to many, Enkidu was quite the looker in terms of his physical appearance. Emilia wouldn't be lying to herself that Enkidu could easily hold the nation's top 10 beautiful faces if he wasn't a male.

As a strong current blew through the path, the action startled the half-elf while the Servant merely enjoyed the cool air unfazed. As his hair further danced along with the wind, it further reinforced Emilia's viewpoint that he was quite the handsome being, although having her breath being swept away by such ridiculous acts didn't help.

"We're here." He happily declared while pushing aside some branches.

Stepping out into a clearing, the first thing that came out of Emilia's mouth was a joyful expression. Stunned by this hidden gem in the woods, she was surprised such a relaxing spot existed so close to the mansion.

From the ring like placement of the trees to the large pond in the middle, it served as nice spot to escape from the clutches of reality. Coming here at night was the real kicker as the bright stars above reflected themselves off the water's surface creating a dreamy landscape.

"So beautiful….!" Emilia claimed excitedly as she sat down near the water's edge.

"Indeed, it is." Enkidu nodded as he extended his arms.

As if the forest was responding to his actions, the trees began to sway gently while small insects known as fireflies began to gather around him. Illuminating the area with colourful hues, what Emilia was witnessing was something straight out of a fairy tale.

"All life is sacred, I swore an oath long ago to protect the Earth and its creations, and I shall continue to do so until my dying breath." Enkidu gently said as he communicated with the various wildlife around him.

The flowers and grass began to sway and dance gently to an inaudible tune, followed by a low glow that began radiating around them which essentially lit up the place. It made the area much more welcoming, like your perfect magical world.

"No way! You can speak to the animals?!" Emilia wore a dumbfounded look.

"Of course, I was ble-"

Enkidu stopped halfway as his calm expression quickly dwindled into a serious tone. While it looked like he was staring in some random direction, he was gazing towards Caster. Or rather, where Caster had last made himself visible before leaving his detection range.

"Enkidu? Is something wrong?" Emilia wore a concerned look on her face.

"No, maybe. It seems the enemy has left the vicinity for now." He casually let the words slip.

"Enemy?! Is someone attacking us?!" Emilia stood up at the ready.

Enkidu shifted his gaze back towards the girl, certain that the sudden change in events was minor at best for now. If Caster had left his detection zone, then he was moving away from the estate, meaning it benefited them for the time being.

"Apologies for getting you riled up, please sit down, I bet you're expecting an explanation." He gestured towards the grassy patch.

As Emilia calmed herself, she resumed sitting down in her usual spot with the stars shining brightly overhead.

"So, do you want to share what just happened or do I have to take it by force." She pointed at him.

"No, no. There is no need for violence." He playfully waved his arms. "As for what happened, I have been keeping this information to myself since naturally my Master would be the first to know. Whether he chooses to disclose it is his choice. But since he is out of commission and you're a close friend of his, not to mention this is your home, I will tell you."

"Go on." She urged him.

"During the late hours last night, I detected the presence of another Servant entering this domain. Its Spirit Origins no doubt belonged to that of the Caster class. Unfortunately, that is all I can discern of the Servant for now. For the past few hours he has remained in one spot doing something, what it was is up to my guess. And just a few minutes ago, he had left the range of my detection field." He explained briefly to her.

"No way!" Her eyes widened in surprise. "Does that mean?...the enemy is making their move already?"

"Well, I wouldn't really worry too much about it. Our enemy seems to heading away from us, as long as they don't show any sign of attacking I'll leave them be." Enkidu casually stated.

"Eh? You're not going to attack them? But what if they are planning a large assault on this place?" Emilia's voice began to shift into a panicked state.

Enkidu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rest assured, I have the sworn duty of protecting my Master. No harm shall befall the mansion, you have my word."

The girl eased up a bit, soothed by the reassuring words that the Servant told her. "I'll be holding those words against you." She pointed at his face.

"Don't worry, I'll protect everyone here." He said.

"Mmm, that's good to hear." Emilia smiled comfortably.

Enkidu twirled on the heels of his feet and executed a complete 180 degree turn, shooting a glance at Emilia, he said. "It's about time we head back." His feet began moving away from the water's edge.

* * *

"Aaaaaaa, open wide Subaru." Rem playfully told the teen as she navigated the spoon into the teen's mouth. From a distance it looked like a mother spoon feeding her newborn child, but the reason why she performed such notions was understandable at best.

Opening the teen's jaw with her other hand, she removed the metal object from his mouth and dipped it into the bowl for another serving. Wiping a small speck crumbs from his mouth, she readied the spoon for another pass.

While Rem didn't exactly enjoy the state Subaru was in, she took pride and joy in knowing she was doing her best at looking after the person she admired the most. That's why she couldn't afford to look sad or conflicted, instead she'll continue to smile, for Subaru's sake.

"Here you go!" She said enthusiastically while serving another spoonful.

As the door to the room clicked once, the heavy frame slid open revealing the presence of a familiar figure. Striding in casually, he wore a calm look as he closed the door behind him.

"How is he, Rem?" Enkidu asked.

"So far nothing has changed, but he has been getting his daily meals so that's a good thing." She replied before feeding another spoonful.

"I see, at least he's in a good hands." He commented, praising Rem's care taking abilities.

"You think so?..." She said softly, blushing slightly at his words.

"I think my Master would agree with me on that." He smiled.

"Did Emilia say she was successful in securing someone to help Subaru's condition?" The maid tilted her head to one side.

Enkidu nodded slowly, "While it's true she managed to get a hold of someone, it would take at least a few more days for him to get here." Enkidu frowned at the fact his Master had to wait so long for help.

"Is that so? Then the best thing we can do is make sure Subaru is taken care of properly until then." Rem said while cleaning up the food tray.

"The weather is nice today as well." He chimed while walking over to the open window.

The slow gentle breeze swept into the room and blew the curtain back. Hitting the Servant with the cool natural air, he took a whiff and let out a calm sigh.

"Indeed, it is." Rem smiled softly as she glanced at the motionless teen.

Just then, an idea struck her head. Since it was such a lovely day outside coupled with the fact that she needed to head into town to do some shopping, why not bring Subaru along?

Since the teen had spent the entire day yesterday cooped up in the room, just sitting in bed won't do the body any good.

"Come Subaru, let's go into town for a bit?" She asked him excitedly.

"Town? Do you plan on bringing Master along?" Enkidu asked in a surprised manner.

"Why yes, I think it'd be a good change of pace for today rather than staying in bed. What do you think Enkidu?" She asked him for approval.

Glancing out the window again, he couldn't argue with the fact that his Master had ben cooped up in here all day. Besides, it was beautiful outside right now, what's the worst that could happen?

"In that case, count me in." He smiled gently. "I would like to explore more of this lavish land."

With that being said, Rem hurriedly excused herself from the room to get things ready for their short trip into town. Returning with a silky brown coat and a basket, she set the woven container down and put the cloak around Subaru.

Low incomprehensible noises escaped Subaru's mouth as he was guided off the bed. While he wasn't distressed by the sudden changes, it showed some part of his mind was still working.

Being guided out of the room slowly, the teen accepted all forms of commands without opposition, as if he was on autopilot the whole time.

It didn't take the small group long to walk before they were halfway through the journey. Arriving at the small bridge that crossed over the small creek, it signalled that they were close to Irlam village already.

"Well hello there little one!" Enkidu's voice was serene as a small butterfly landed on his finger. "Yes, you are quite marvellous indeed, go, re-join your friends." He gently moved his finger, prompting the insect to leave its perch.

Rem watched the whole scene from start to finish with her mouth slightly ajar. Was she dreaming or was it just Enkidu being Enkidu? If she understood things just then, it's that Enkidu just casually talked to an insect.

"_No way, does he have some sort of divine protection?"_ She asked herself internally while continuing their trek.

As the soft breeze came about through the various openings, it collided into their backs giving the trio a whiff of fresh air. Nearing the village opening, the sound of multiple people working, and chattering filled the air.

As the sound of civilisation grew louder with each step, it wasn't long before the group arrived at the entrance to the village.

"Fascinating, this Architecture is nothing like I've seen during my time in Uruk." Enkidu said in an impressed tone as he gazed at the houses.

"This is Irlam village, one of the few places under Lord Roswaal's rule. This is where my sister and I mainly go for our supplies every week. It's also Subaru's favourite place to come down to, he enjoys interacting with the town folks." Rem explained.

"I see, so this is Irlam village." Enkidu nodded slowly as he eyed his surroundings.

Realising they had strolled through the place a fair bit and had stopped at the town's centre, the people who were busy going about their daily routines came to a sudden stop as they noticed a stranger had entered their grounds.

"Are...are the people normally like this?" Enkidu asked in low voice as he noticed the sudden change in behaviour.

"Well, I'd say its normal around here since new strangers are often the centre of attention. It'll blow over quickly." Rem waved a hand. _"Although the fact you look like a woman who came straight out of a fairy-tale doesn't help." _

"Oh? Rem-rin, are you here on your usual shopping trip?" A kid greeted the girl followed by a group with what seemed to be his friends.

"Indeed I am." Rem smiled back at the child.

"Wait, is that stranger your friend?" Another child pointed at Enkidu.

At this point, the children all wore stunned look on their faces as they gazed at Enkidu's figure. Sizing him up from top to bottom, it was clear they were in awe due to the way they were simply staring at him.

Responding in kind towards the children's gestures, Enkidu simply smiled at them, giving off a warm radiance.

"Hey Miss, what's your name!" The child at front of the group asked.

Enkidu giggled on inside at the way he was addressed, placing a hand on his chest, he said. "I am Enkidu, and you are?" He asked.

"I-I…am…L-Lucas!" The child blurted out as he tried to hide his face, charmed by Enkidu's beauty alone.

"I'm Dine!" Another one said. "And this is my brother, Cain!"

"That's me, Cain!" The one with slick hair shouted.

"I-I'm Mild, Miss Enkidu. Nice to meet you!" The large kid at the back bowed deeply.

"The name's Meina, just call me that." The girl in blonde twin tails introduced herself.

"And I'm Petra, Petra Leyte." The last girl of the group introduced herself.

Enkidu crouched down low and kept his smile on, "You all have nice names, it's nice to meet you all. Let's get along, now shall we?" He smiled enthusiastically.

"Miss Enkidu, don't you know that you're really beautiful!?" Lucas exclaimed as he pointed at him.

Taken aback by the compliment, Enkidu didn't really bother about his appearance, but to receive a compliment like that was something he welcomed. "Oh, you really think so?..." He scratched the side of his cheek, unsure whether he should reveal his current preferred gender.

"Say Miss Enkidu, do you want to play with us?"

The Servant rose up again to his full height, pondering if he should stick by his Master or go with the children. Glancing at Rem, she merely waved her hand in a discrete manner, urging him to interact with the minors.

"I suppose I could for a little while." He said slowly before looking back at the children, their faces full of joy.

"Really!? Come on, let's show you around!" Petra and Lucas said with excited faces as they grabbed his free hands.

Dragging the Servant away, Enkidu could only look back at Rem who simply waved good luck to him. Unsure of what fate lied ahead of the Servant, he could only hope for the best.

Leaving Rem alone with the hooded Subaru, she quickly checked to make sure he was still with her. Seeing the same blank expression as always, it put her at ease for a bit. Holding his hand firmly, she began to guide him to the stalls around town.

"Come Subaru, let's go shopping." She gently tugged his hand.

Walking around the plaza square, many of the residents greeted the girl with warm smiles and waves, paying no heed to the person she was dragging along.

For many people, it was rude to stick their nose in someone else's business, that was why none had bothered to ask who the hooded figure was. It worked out for Rem anyway, as she didn't want to explain Subaru's condition to anyone else.

Jumping from stall to stall, various ingredients began piling up inside the basket. From fruits, vegetables, meat and spices. Even some nice seasonings that was freshly imported from the capital found its way into the basket.

With that said, each stall treated the maid girl with a warm welcome. Small talks erupted here and there, ranging from the weather to life. Sometimes it'd devolve into deeper conversations.

"_I wonder how Enkidu is doing?"_ She asked herself while counting the items inside the basket.

Walking with Subaru through the street, she realised they had been walking around for a good few hours now. Perhaps it was time she bought some refreshments for the two of them.

Stopping at a nearby bench, she sat the teen down together with the basket and disappeared quickly into a nearby shop. Coming back with two bottles, she sat down next to Subaru and began drinking the contents.

Occasionally feeding Subaru the drink every now and then, the duo sat quietly as the sun above was beginning its descent. In another hour or so it would be the evening.

"Ha…aaa…" Subaru murmured.

"Something wrong Subaru?" Rem instinctively jumped to his aid.

Seeing that he was simply mouthing nonsense syllables as usual, she clamed down again and returned to giving him the drink.

Finishing their beverages, the duo resumed their journey and headed back towards the town square. Since their shopping errands had been completed, it was now time to fetch Enkidu.

Returning to the centre, no signs of Enkidu could be seen anywhere. However, the sounds of children laughing loudly echoed over in the next street. Perhaps she should start there.

Following the playful sounds, the duo came onto the next street and rounded a corner. Spotting the same group of children earlier playfully running around and chatting, Enkidu sat comfortably at the centre as they were all over him.

For both Meina and Petra, the girls busied themselves by braiding Enkidu's silky-smooth hair into a simple yet eloquent pattern. While that was happening, the boys in front handed him a bowl full of ice-cream and chanted the words 'eat, eat, eat, eat!' over and over.

"Alright, alright, I shall eat this desert you have eagerly prepared for me." Enkidu declared as he readied the spoon.

Scooping up a large portion of the ice-cream, he quickly put the large chunk in his mouth and began to chew on the soft contents. For the boys however, they merely snickered as they anticipated what would happen next.

Suddenly, Enkidu froze in the middle of digesting the ice-cream and posed like a statue. It turns out, consuming something cold at a rapid rate can leads to all sorts of problems. The most prominent being a brain freeze.

"Ahahaha! Enkidu got a brain freeze!" They teased him.

Recovering from the incident, the Servant merely pouted at their silly prank. Still, they were kids, he didn't mind the treatment since he too enjoyed this interaction.

"I see we're enjoying our time?" Rem asked the Servant as she creeped up to them.

"Oh, it's Rem-rin!" The group cheered.

"I take it you are done with your errands?" Enkidu asked the girl.

"Yes, I suppose we should start heading back now. I still have to prepare dinner with my sister after all." She informed him.

"Awww, does that mean you have to go now?" Lucas asked him with a disappointed look.

Enkidu offered a small smile towards them, "Unfortunately I have to leave now, but nevertheless, I enjoyed the time I spent with you all. Lucas, Petra, Meina, Cain, Dine, and Mild."

"Yes, he remembered our names!" Dine pumped his fist into the air happily.

"Very well, we'll let you be on your way then. We'll all escort you to the entrance, what do you say?" Mild asked them.

Rem let out a sigh, how could she refuse such a sweet request? "Sure, let's go then." She told them all.

Following them to the entrance as promised, the little group waved goodbye as the trio shrank in the distance while the village grew smaller with each passing step. Waving a big goodbye, Enkidu wore a large smile on his face before he departed.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Rem remarked.

"Indeed, I guess it reminds me of the time I interacted with the people of Uruk. Although I didn't interact much back then, I'll try harder again this time, and gain a better understanding of what it means to be a human." He said happily.

"I like what the girls did to your hair by the way, it suits you." She complimented the look.

"Oh really? I must admit, this is a refreshing pace for once." He giggled at the thought as he toyed with his new hairstyle.

"In any case, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm sure Subaru would've said the same thing as well." She glanced at the teen before staring ahead again.

"Mmm, I'm sure he would." He nodded softly.

/…/

Walking through the empty halls, the lights around the mansion began to go out slowly as Ram put them out our switched them off. Stopping outside his Master's bedroom, he gently pushed the door open and found the room dimly lit.

Closing the door behind him, he made his way over to the bed and found a surprising revelation. Lying next to his Master in a comfortable position was none other than Rem herself. Glancing at the two, it almost looked like they were couple.

"_Perhaps she worked too hard for today, taking care of others can surely be tiring."_ He said to himself before grabbing a spare blanket.

Covering the girl and tucking the two of them in, the Servant was satisfied with his work and decided to take his leave for the night.

* * *

"Any plans for the evening Enkidu?" Rem asked the Servant who sat in the chair by the window.

"I haven't thought that far ahead frankly speaking." He told the girl.

"I guess it's another day of lounging around for you then." She told him up front.

Just as she finished that sentence, Enkidu sprang out from the chair like a frightened cat. His facial expressions down to his body language practically radiated danger at that moment, whatever startled him must be serious.

"Rem, gather everyone in the household together, the enemy is coming. Fast!" Enkidu declared in a serious tone. "We need to protect Subaru at all costs!"

"Understood." The girl replied in the same tone before darting out the door at immense speed.

Lifting himself off the ground, the Servant flung himself out the door and down the hallway towards Emilia's room. Coming to a halt, he pushed the doors open with a loud noise, startling the half-elf girl inside.

"Enkidu! What's going on?!" She blurted out in surprise.

"No time to explain, I have to get you to Subaru's room." He grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the room.

Zipping through the hallways with Emilia clinging on for dear life, the Servant quickly arrived back at Subaru's room. Finding Rem and Ram already waiting, he set down Emilia and needed to make the explanation quick.

"If you have some sort of safe room to hide in, please do so now. The enemy is coming, and in large numbers too." Enkidu explained.

Feeling the waltzing tide flood his presence detection, he was beginning to see numbers climb into the near hundreds with each passing second. He needed to get out there and disperse the threat immediately.

"Enkidu, what's happening? Are you sure the enemy is attacking us? Is it that Caster Servant you were talking about yesterday?" Emilia asked him.

"It seems that way, he's approaching this location with an army of monsters at his heels. Their objective may as well be to cease all life in this building." Enkidu said gravely.

"We will defend this mansion till our last breath, that is our sworn duty." Ram declared.

Crouching down and resting his palm on the floor, a burst of magical energy surged throughout the air as the ground began to reform itself. Emerging from the floor in a quick manner, the weapon was a battle axe of sleek nature.

Completing the creative process, he picked up the blade and handed it to Emilia who took it with a confused face.

"Keep Subaru safe, that is all I ask of you." He begged the group before making himself scarce.

Running towards the window, the Servant quickly took flight and dashed out of the building. Climbing high and looping around, the soared over the rooftops and straight towards the encroaching horde.

Getting a clearer picture of the situation, he could see various black dots in the clearing of the trees that. Eldritch horrors that stood at tall as a house marched through the trees while smaller lower profile monsters scurried towards the mansion.

All of sudden, the daemonic entities increased their speeds and accelerated at frightening speeds towards their objective. Startled by the change in speed. Enkidu quickly dropped to the ground near the gates and awaited their arrival.

"I guess there's no point in holding back now. I shall decimate each and everyone of these disgusting creatures. The Earth does not welcome things like you, for you are a cancer to it." Enkidu said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Crouching low with an open hand, he rested his palm on the gravel road and communicated with the Earth. Calling forth one of his Noble Phantasms, the ground around him began to change form as blades began to rise forth from the Earth itself.

The area was practically brimming with magical energy as it coursed like strong river throughout the area. As the weapons fully emerged from the ground, they hovered menacingly in the air and pointed themselves at their targets.

The ground rumbled in response to the tide that drummed closer with each passing second. Trees were shaken about as the beast pushed their way through the branches, eager to reach their objective.

"Here is comes!" Enkidu declared.

As the first monster leapt over the walls, it quickly met a fiery demise as a sword was launched against it and detonated once it pierced. Following suite, a wave of monsters quickly scaled the stone fence in an endless siege.

Responding in kind, the Servant merely smiled as he launched more projectiles towards the horde. More explosions erupted around the area as the beasts were simply decimated into nothing by the projectile blades.

-BOOM!-

Another wave was completely destroyed as they attempted to scale the already crumbling fence and mangled front gate. The explosion itself also rocked the Earth and shattered the windows at the front of the building due to how loud it was.

Stemming the tide and keeping them at bay, there seemed to be no end for the horde as they kept on coming. Sure, he could keep producing as many weapons as fast as he was expending them, but surely the enemy wouldn't be that dumb to waste their forces like this. Something was amiss.

Continuing the one-sided massacre for a while, he sensed no change inside the mansion which put him at some ease. Something was off, and it was bothering him, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Then all of a sudden, the tide of monsters that was assaulting his position suddenly stopped coming. In a surprising turn of events, the beasts had suddenly just stopped, not only that, his presence detection wasn't picking them up anymore.

"Cannon fodder? Is that what they were?" Enkidu theorised. "I'm still picking up the large walking entities, it seems I'll have to retire from this position and engage them before they can get close."

Sensing impending danger, he quickly retaliated with his weapons and launched them at the incoming projectiles. As the two collided, it ended up creating a fiery blaze as their remains came crashing down to the ground.

As more fire projectiles were launched towards the mansion, it was clear that the tall monsters were a form of long-range support. This was bad, he had to get rid of them quickly before they could fire again.

Countering the artillery bombardment again, the Servant quickly rose and launched himself towards the nearest giant. Flying towards it at breakneck speeds, he summoned a wave of golden circles around the monster and launched his chains at it.

As the weapon penetrated the beast without effort, it let out a wave of shock and unintelligible screams.

Discharging a wave of energy bolts, the projectiles made their way towards their target and blew of chunks of its flesh and limbs. Coming in for the final blow, he channelled magical energy into his hand and formed a blade.

Swinging his arm, he let loose a blast wave that quickly travelled to its target and sliced right through its flesh. Travelling deeper and deeper through its body, it came out the other side and completely sawed the giant in half.

As the event transpired in less than 10 seconds, Enkidu was already targeting the next giant and made his move. Executing the same move again, he discharged more energy bolts with a higher magical input.

As the projectiles impacted the monster, it chewed through its flesh effortlessly and decimated half of its body in a split second.

It was at this moment Enkidu's presence detection detected something odd. Glaring in the general direction of the mansion, he picked up humans moving rapidly towards the building.

"_Shit! So they wanted me to move away from the garden to attack these towering monsters. I need to head back now!"_ He told himself.

Stopping in his tracks, the towering giants were about to power up their next barrage and could cause massive damage to the mansion. Torn with the choice of either stopping the enemy humans or take out the remaining artillery pieces, he went with the only logical choice.

"I will not let you pass!" He declared loudly before zipping towards the remaining towering monstrosities.

Unleashing attack after attack, the giant monsters began to fall one after another like dominoes. Blitzing his way from tower to tower, they all fell effortlessly. Explosions erupted and blood erupted all around him as they were taken care off.

Quickly changing his course, he zipped straight back towards the mansion gates and caught the approaching humans off guard. For the time it took them to sneak through the forest and make a run across the estates Garden, it took them a mere minute and a half.

In that same time span, Enkidu had gone out of his way to eliminate all of the enemy's artillery support in quick succession and managed to make it back in time to stop them.

Descending like a mad hawk, a wall of golden circles appeared in front of the cloaked humans which caught them off guard. Launching the spear tipped chians out of them, they quickly had a mind of their own as they massacred the human opposition in one fell swoop.

But it wasn't over yet, while the opposition at the front was taken care off, he had failed to realise that more had flanked the mansion and were coming in from the rear.

At the same time, another threat had appeared and was an alarming one at that. Recognizing that the horde had reappeared, Enkidu realised he couldn't leave the horde unchecked or else they would overwhelm the building.

He had to keep them in check or else it could cause more trouble for the occupants inside. For now, he would have to hold the line and hope for the best that the girls will hold out until he was done here.

"Sorry Ram, Rem and Emilia. Please hold out for a little while longer." He said to himself as he placed his hand on the ground.

Using his Noble Phantasm again, more weapons sprang forth from the Earth, ready to meet their enemies.

* * *

Inside the building, the occupants inside Subaru's room waited with tense looks on their faces. As another explosion rocked the building, it startled the girls who exchanged worried looks with each other.

This sounded like no ordinary battle, it sounded like a war was happening on their very doorstep.

"Enemy sighted, they're closing in on the building!" Ram reported as she glanced out the window.

"Sister, we can't keep Subaru here, we need to move him elsewhere!" Rem suggested.

"I agree, we all need to move to a safer place. I know a room we can take refuge in." Emilia piped up.

"Quick, let's move him out of here then." Ram nodded in agreement as she headed for the doors.

Peeking out and down the hallways, no signs of the enemy were seen, and Ram gave the all clear. Pushing the doors wide open, the girls quickly made their way out of the room and down the hallway.

Another explosion rocked the building again, causing some unsecured objects to fall and tip over.

Moving closer towards one of the rooms with a hidden passageway, the sound of multiple footsteps echoing throughout the hall signalled that the enemy was already on the same floor as them.

"No way! They're already here!" Ram exclaimed.

"These guys are fast!" Emilia said as she kept guiding Subaru with one hand while holding the axe Enkidu gave her in the other.

Continuing their push down the hallway, the cloaked figures made themselves known and began launching knives at the group.

"Quick, get Balse out of here! I'll hold them off!" Ram said as she activated her magic skills and launched an attack at the oncoming group.

"Sister, let me join you!" Rem said as her sister cut down a robed figure.

"No, make sure you protect Balse!" She told the her. "Go!"

Swallowing her saliva, Rem gave one final glance behind her back as her Sister moved in and engaged the enemy. Knowing her sister would make it out of this, she focused her attention forward and followed Emilia as they ran down the hall.

Approaching a set of spiral staircases, it was a matter of choice if they were to go up or down.

"Quick, we need to go up!" Emilia said as she began climbing the steps.

"AGHHHHH!" A high pitched scream echoed down the hall.

As dread overcame Rem, she turned around and saw her sister writhing in pain on the floor as multiple knives had found their way onto her body. Letting emotions overcome her, she couldn't allow such acts to go unpunished.

"Please, go on without me Miss Emilia!" She told the girl as her horn manifested itself.

"Rem…." Emilia called out to her, but it was already too late.

In a flash, the demon girl darted forward and swung her mace at the crowd. Smashing into a body here and there, she completely demolished the opposition at first.

Ensuring that Rem and Ram's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain, she herded Subaru up the steps and ended up on the next floor. Another explosion rocked the building, and the sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs signalled the arrival of more enemies.

"Dammit! Why are there so many of them?!" Emilia glanced behind her shoulder to see the robed figures coming after her and Subaru.

Pausing in her steps, she raised her right arm and began firing ice crystals towards the oncoming targets. Scoring a hit on one of them, the rest dispersed and began taking evasive manoeuvres.

Counting two rushing towards her, she fired another blast of icicles that missed the first target but grazed the other.

Responding to her attacks, the attackers threw their knives at the girl with precision and frightening speeds. Having a few seconds to react, she quickly conjured up a wall of ice to block the projectiles.

Tossing the axe Enkidu lent her at Subaru's feet, she readied her hand as the robed men vaulted over her ice wall. Firing more projectiles, this time they hit their targets and stopped them dead in their tracks.

With the encounter over, a small wave of relief overcame the girl. Checking if Subaru was still okay, the teen remained unharmed for the time being.

Turning around to continue down the hall, a stray knife found itself hurled towards the girl and buried itself into her left shoulder.

"Tch!" She let out a pained groan as she turned to the source.

Spotting a robed figure running towards her, she raised her right arm and began discharging more icicles. Dodging them with ease, the man was on top of her before she could even react further.

Pinning her down on the floor, the two of them wrestled furiously as they tried to get the upper hand on each other. While Emilia seemed like she had little strength, she was holding her own quite well against the stranger.

Struggling even further, her assailant let out a sinister chuckle as he revealed a hidden knife in his sleeve. Attempting to drive the blade into the girl, he was starting to get annoyed with this scuffle.

"DIE!" He screamed fanatically at her.

-SLASH!-

The sound of a heavy blade cleaving straight through flesh rang throughout the air, startling the man. The next minute, blood began to ooze all over his apparel as he realised what sort of damage had been inflicted.

Losing all consciousness, the body slumped onto Emilia who let out a shocked gasp as she pushed it off her. Wondering what had just happened, the sight of a familiar face filled her view as he extended a helping towards her.

"Subaru…." She trailed off as the teen simply smiled at her with a tired face, his brown eyes filled with life once more.

Accepting his offer, he graciously pulled her up onto her feet. Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Emilia couldn't be happier that Subaru had finally returned to them.

But that moment was short lived as her instincts kicked her into reacting towards a newfound threat. Sensing a pair of knives soaring towards Subaru, her hands quickly shoved him out of the way but put herself in danger during the process.

Stunned by her actions, Subaru could only gaze in shock as Emilia put on a brave smile on her face. All he could do now was helplessly watch as the deadly objects impaled her skull and neck, effectively killing her.

"EMILIA!" He roared out in anger as he regained his balance.

Turning his head towards the source of the attack, he spotted two more robed men down the hall, all with their knives at the ready.

Readying the axe in his hand, he slowly began to walk his way towards the enemy. His blood boiled to the max as rage took over his movements, while his mind remained partially rational. He wasn't going to commit the same mistake of attacking blindly this time.

Pouring all his strength in one go, he launched into a full-blown sprint towards his targets. Predicting their next moves, it was do or die at this moment for Subaru.

As the two assailants threw their weapons at him, what was going to be an easy was quickly shot down as the teen swatted the projectiles out of the air like it was nothing.

More and more knives were thrown at him to stop him in his tracks. But such attacks were futile against someone who was driven by rage and a thirst for revenge.

Blocking a few here and there, the teen kept charging as adrenaline surged through his vessels and veins. But his reckless charge wasn't without repercussions as those few blades he failed to block either grazed him or found their way into his body.

"_Ouch, ouch! It hurts, but I can't stop, not now, now here!"_ He defiantly told himself as he kept charging.

"Shit, he's getting closer!" One of them yelled.

"It doesn't matter, put him down!" The other barked.

"My turn!" He growled at them.

Raising his arm, he quickly threw it forward and released his grip on the axe. Sending the weapon flying, it homed in on the first target at insane speeds. Reacting a little too late, the man could only stand there as the blade cleaved right through him without effort.

Anchoring itself into the ground, his friend could only react in shock as he watched his partner get completely sawed in half by a giant well decorated axe. Failing to pay attention to Subaru, the teen darted past the man and retrieved the weapon from the floor.

Quickly attempting to pull out more blades, Subaru swung the back end of the weapon at the man's legs and sent him tumbling to the floor. Landing with a large thud, the last thing the man ever saw was a giant blade coming down him.

Severing the head from the body with grace, the head rolled to one side while blood began pouring uncontrollably from the neck.

Panting uncontrollably, Subaru quickly tended to his wounds and removed the foreign weapons from their positions. Only now did the pain start to kick in, yet he had to press on for his sake and the others.

Seeing that the threat had been taken care off, the teen checked down the hallway and made sure no one else was left. Hurrying over to Emilia's body, he dropped the weapon and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

"You idiot, idiot, idiot!" Subaru cried out as he assessed her. Checking for a pulse, his heart sank into an abyss as the check came back negative. "Why?!" He screamed as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

As another explosion rocked the building, the sounds of dying monsters pierced the walls of the building. There was only one person capable of performing such a feat to this knowledge, and he needed to be with him.

"Enkidu!" He realised.

Picking up Emilia's body and the axe, he began making his way out of the building. He had to find the others, he needed to see if they were alive.

Coming down onto the floor below, he was greeted with a bloody scene as the walls and floor were painted with blood. Bodies lay in a mangled mess as some had missing limbs or had their respective portions completely blown away. The air reeked like that of a slaughterhouse.

Making his way slowly down the area, he came across a sight that made his heart disappear into the void itself. Unable to produce any words, only tears made themselves known as more mourning and grief filled the atmosphere.

Lying slumped on the floor and against the wall were the bodies of Rem and Ram, each had knives embedded into vital parts their bodies. Both seemingly going down with a hard fight as evidenced by the corpses littering the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry you had to do all this." Subaru told them before making his way onto the main hall. The longer he hung around, the more he knew it would break him even further. That's why, he needed to get to Enkidu now.

Seeing the front door caved right in, the smell of blood became second nature to his senses as the air practically reeked of it. Walking slowly out of the mansion, he gazed around slowly as bodies and small craters littered the once beautiful garden.

Now all that was left was a landscape that was a shell of its former self. Not even a speck of life was witnessed, not a single damn thing.

Coming down the steps, Subaru looked around for Enkidu but saw nothing. All he saw was swords impaled into bodies that were all of human nature. The rest was just scorched earth from the use of explosives

Glancing upwards, Enkidu hovered aimlessly in the air with a grim look on his face. Holding a severed head in his hands, the teen recognized who it belonged too.

"_Petelgeuse!"_ He gritted his teeth in anger as he saw the lifeless head.

Descending down onto his Master, the Servant tossed the head aside before blasting it into oblivion. Parts of Enkidu's apparel was stained with blood, yet it didn't bother him, all that mattered was that the enemy had been defeated.

"Master, you're back….." He wore a stunned look on his face, yet it overflowed with joy and relief the next second.

"…Yeah…but at what cost?..." The teen glanced down at the motionless body in his arms.

"Emilia….!" The Servant gasped in shock, to think all of them had fallen.

"What do I do now Enkidu? She-no, they gave their lives for me. What am I supposed to do now? What can I do?" He looked the Servant, his eyes practically screamed that he was lost now.

Enkidu bent down towards the teen, unsure on how to respond to such a question. "I'm sorry Master, I couldn't protect all of them like you would've wished so." He said.

Subaru began to tear up again, tears rolled down his cheeks at an increased rate. He had lost again, and this time, he had lost so much. Everything that was dear to him, gone in an instant. A part of him wanted to blame Enkidu, but what good would that be?

He couldn't blame his Servant, not after everything he had done. Even if his emotions wanted to lash out against the Servant, he wouldn't dare so. It was impossible to blame this on him, doing so would make him look like an idiot.

Instead, the teen rested his head against Enkidu's chest and continued crying out to his heart's content. After all, it was the best he could in this situation before doing anything else.

Enkidu responded in kind by simply placing his arms around the boy. There wasn't much he could do to comfort him, but this was the least he could do to offer himself as a pillar of support.

/…/

After a while, Subaru managed to regain his senses and wondered what he should do next. There was no point in fighting anymore, with Emilia dead, all hopes of her ascending to the Throne had been shattered.

"_This isn't right, I have to start over. I need to go reset everything and stop all this mess from happening!"_ He told himself as he gritted his teeth in anger. _"I have no choice; I'll order Enkidu to kill me on the spot."_

"Master, something is approaching us." Enkidu scowled as he looked at the sky, interrupting his train of thoughts.

"Huh? Don't tell me we have to fight again?" He asked in a tired tone.

"No, this is something far too dangerous for you handle. Let me deal with this one." Enkidu said as he anticipated the arrival of his new enemy.

Next minute, the atmosphere around them began to change drastically. The most noticeable being that the temperature began to drop even though the evening sun was still out. Followed by this sudden change, a figure descended from the skies above with a displeased look on its face.

"That's?!-" Subaru trailed off as he recognized the figure.

"What are you doing with my daughter, you filthy degenerates?!" He bellowed to them as a wall of icicles manifested behind him, all aimed and ready to be fired.

"Puck!" Subaru called out to him.

"Be quiet Subaru, I do not wish to hear your worthless babbling. Besides, I'll be sure to finish you anyway." He growled at the teen.

Stepping in front of Subaru swiftly, Enkidu stretched out his arms in a defensive manner while glaring daggers at puck. The look in the Servant's eyes alone was enough to make the Artificial Spirit hesitate.

"Sorry Puck, it seems I was mistaken by your friendly demeanour. But I'm afraid I can't let you harm my Master." Enkidu glared menacingly at the small spirit.

Smirking at the attempt, the spirit simply closed his eyes and bid them farewell. "So long, Subaru and Enkidu."

Unleashing his wall of icicles, they projectiles came towards the two at the same time in a concentrated mass.

Responding to the childish attack, Enkidu quickly placed his palm on the ground and commanded the Earth to his will. As magical energy surged throughout the air, the ground erupted and changed form as a makeshift wall came up.

Absorbing all the icicles in one turn, the Servant quickly dropped the barrier and called upon the Age of Babylon the next second. "My turn!" He replied as various weapons sprang forth from the Earth towards their target.

"What?!" Puck cried out in surprise as the counterattack happened in a split second.

Failing to avoid the overwhelming attack, the spirit let himself get impaled and let out an audible yelp before the blades around him detonated in a fiery blaze.

"Enough!" Puck bellowed as he took his full form.

Transforming rapidly into a giant beast, his unleashed form drew in mana from the surroundings and consequently turned the landscape into a frozen tundra. Sucking all life dry in the immediate vicinity, he glanced down to see Enkidu and Subaru still clinging on to dear life much to his dismay.

The wind howled and moved at incredible speeds in response to the sudden change in the region.

"Such paltry attacks," Enkidu scoffed as his magic resistance casually deflected the negative effects. Sharing a portion with the ground below him, the earth where Subaru sat on remained untouched by the frozen hell that surrounded him.

"Impossible! Why have you not frozen in place?!" He shouted at the two lifeforms below him. Landing on the ground, he shook the surface with his giant size and glared at the duo.

"Is that you Puck?..." Subaru wore a stunned look as he eyed the giant beast in front of him.

"It seems our friend here has shown his true colours." Enkidu said nonchalantly as he kept studying his opponent.

"Listen here Subaru, I'm going to tell you a thing or two before killing you. Frankly speaking, you broke your promise of protecting Lia and you let her die. With Emilia gone, I will fulfill my contract of destroying the world." He coldly sated, all form of reasoning had left him just by looking into the spirit's eyes.

"W-Why?" Subaru stammered with a dumbfounded look.

"Lia is…Emilia is the reason why I exist. What reason do I have to live in a world where she doesn't exist?" He told him before rearing away to his full height, intimidating the teen fully.

Enkidu let out a small chuckle, "I'm sorry, I cannot simply let you do that. While it's true my Master is my first priority in terms of protection, the world and all its inhabitants come next. You declared your intent to destroy the world and that makes me your enemy and the world's now."

"I will make sure to silence your disrespectful mouth first you third-rate familiar!" Puck roared before lifting his paw and swiping at the Servant at incredible speeds.

"_Crap, it's moving so fast like a blur, oh no!" _Subaru gasped as he braced himself for the aftermath.

"It's useless, I must eliminate you at all costs. Therefore, I will not fall here, not to the likes of you." Enkidu said defiantly before quickly summoning forth the Chains of Heaven.

Within a flash, gold circles made of light surrounded Puck's incoming paw. The chains ejected themselves from their holsters and quickly wrapped around or pierced the limb.

The iconic sound that chains gave off when they moved was music to Enkidu's ears as they moved at speeds beyond the level that eyesight could comprehend.

Binding and halting the limb in its track, the spirit wore a confused look as he wondered how his attack was stopped all of a sudden while pain seared through his arm. Glancing down at his limb, the look of shock coursed through his face.

Without uttering another word, Enkidu placed the palm of his hand on the ground and called for the Age of Babylon again. Creating the weapons quickly, he discharged them in an overwhelming assault, and they hit true to home.

"That won't work on me again!" Puck bellowed as he opened his mouth to discharge a blizzard vortex.

Freezing the weapons in mid-flight, the first wave dropped to the ground and shattered. But it was foolish of him to think that was the only wave as even more came flying towards him.

Hitting and detonating on impact, Puck let out a pained roar as his body had been impaled in such a distasteful manner and smoke enveloped him.

He gazed at Enkidu with murderous intent in his eyes through a small gap in the smoke screen. Enkidu returned the favour by emitting a murderous aura all around him.

Using the smoke his chance to attack, prana surged through his body as he charged himself up for the next attack.

Quickly pushing himself off the ground, he closed the gap between him and Puck within less than a second. Angling his approach, he broke through the smoke feet first and impact Puck's snout.

-CRACK!-

What sounded like thunder rang throughout the air as the hit connected. Generating a strong shock wave and dispelling the smoke, Enkidu wasn't finished yet as he communicated with the Earth again.

Summoning forth earthly pillars, the objects merely did their job of smashing into the underside of the spirit which made him rear upwards even more. As more of them came up, they began hitting knocking the spirit around.

Seeing that the Artificial Spirit has exposed one of the least protected areas of his body, the Servant morphed his hand into an energy blade and went straight it with the intent of causing absolute mayhem.

Flying at breakneck speeds, the Servant targeted several weak points around the body and inflicted deep cuts onto the spirit within seconds while Puck couldn't even do anything to react appropriately to the situation.

"Enough of this! You've pissed me off more than you can imagine you stupid Servant!" Puck roared out in pain as Enkidu made rings around him.

Enkidu merely gazed at Puck with a cold face, he wasn't going to show any mercy to this thing at the very least. Judging his next course of action, the Servant concluded it was time to finish things and put the spirit out of his misery.

"Goodbye Puck." Enkidu coldly declared.

Quickly surrounding the Artificial Spirit by a wall of golden portals, the Chains of Heaven quickly ejected themselves from their place and snaked their way towards their target.

Piercing and wrapping themselves around key limb points, the Chains of Heaven weren't as merciful as some of them went straight through Puck's body including impaling various parts of his skull and mouth.

"Hngrhhhh!" Puck let out an inaudible sound as his mouth and snout had been pierced and bounded by the Chains.

Struggling to break free from his prison, it was no use as it felt like opposing the entire planet itself. Just what sort of chains are these, and how did Enkidu of all people end up with such a power?

Moving silently, Enkidu crouched down and rested his palm on the ground and began to chant. As a large golden circle appeared beneath him, torrents of magical energy that dwarfed even Puck's usage, coursed through every fibre of the Servant.

The next second, all that energy was unleashed in a powerful burst as a golden transparent wave of light shot upwards from the portal with a distinct roar. As spear tipped chains began to rise out of the same circle, Enkidu stood up and calmly looked at Puck.

"What I call upon is a breath of stars. For I walk alongside the path of man. Therefore... 'Child of man, let us bind the gods; Enuma Elish'!" Enkidu shouted as he took off into the air together with his golden chains of light following suite.

Launching themselves from the golden circle, multitudes of chains composed of golden light soared high next to their master.

Soaring high into the sky at speeds beyond comprehensible to the naked eye, the chains of light that followed Enkidu began to diverge and form into one giant divine construct designed to pierce and bind the opponent in one single strike.

At its peak in the sky the divine construct revealed itself in its full glory to Puck and began its rapid descent and closed the distance between the two in mere seconds.

Taking the form one giant spear tipped chain, it shone brightly as it was composed of heavenly light itself. As Subaru saw the attack coming with the mere bat of an eye, everything was happening so fast for him to comprehend.

The last thing Subaru saw was a bright light as the Earth around him formed a protective barrier around him and sealed him off from the rest of the world.

Meanwhile on the outside, Puck could only stare in awe as he realised just what sort of power Enkidu possessed. In all his lifetime, he only ever witnessed such strength from a few certain individuals. But this, this was beyond anything he had ever seen.

"Impossible, no one should have such power!" He cried out but was silenced immediately as the divine construct impaled him.

For a while, there was nothing but silence in the area accompanied by a blinding flash of light that could be seen miles away. And then, right after the low rumbling sound thunder grew louder and louder with each passing second.

Until finally what seemed like thunder, explosions and various loud noises mashed together, filled the sky and could be heard from afar as the earth itself was rocked to its very core. The ground rumbled and shook wildly in response on a level equal to that of a high magnitude earthquake.

And then nothingness, the sky returned back to normal and the earth stopped rumbling. The blinding flash of light that was once there, disappeared as well.

Experiencing everything at the heart of the storm, Subaru felt his ear drums pinging non-stop and felt like he was about to go deaf any second. Opening his eyes, the earth mound that had been protecting him and Emilia had vanished into nothingness.

All was quiet as dust and smoke drifted through the air silently. Gazing around, the land around him had just undergone another makeover from being an icy tundra to a barren wasteland stripped of life.

Wondering what on earth could've caused such a scene, his train of thought was halted as he realised what sort of scene greeted him.

Lying no more than a few hundred metres away was a newly formed crater that dwarfed the Roswaal estate twice over. Feeling his jaw slightly drop open in awe, he glanced around and saw that the mansion had been reduced to nothing but its foundation structures at the bottom.

"What the hell?!..." He said to himself it all made sense to him.

"Master, are you alright?" A familiar voice called out to him.

"Wha?-" Subaru gasped as he turned around to see Enkidu unscathed by the events around him. "Enkidu, you're alive?"

"That is correct Master, but more importantly, are you okay?" He asked the teen in a caring voice. Calm and gentle as always.

"You…did all this?" Subaru gestured to the land around them.

"I'm afraid this was something beyond my control. But I did what was necessary to stop Puck from destroying the planet." He flat out told him.

"It's over then?..." He asked.

"Mmm, it's over now." Enkidu nodded.

There's no mistaking it now, all that was left was for the final piece of the puzzle to fall in place. "Then there's only one thing left to do then," Subaru gently placed down Emilia's body before standing upright and making his peace. "Enkidu, I need you to kill me." He bluntly told the Servant.

"What?!" A shocked look formed on Enkidu's face as he studied his Master closely.

"I need you to kill me Enkidu, please." Subaru begged him but realised what he was asking the Servant to do was irrational on his part. "Wait, I can't ask you to do this. I cannot ask you stain your hands even further. I shall take my life by my own hands."

"Why? Why must you throw your life away? Why Master? Are you giving up that easily?" Enkidu asked the teen; his face was confused as ever as he tried to understand Subaru's motives.

"Listen Enkidu, I need to die because it's necessary for something. But don't worry, you don't have to shackle yourself to me anymore." Subaru patted the Servant's shoulder as he began walking away from the area.

No matter how hard he tried, he failed to understand his Masters' goals. But he swore an oath to carry out whatever wishes Subaru made. "If that is your final wish, then I shall gladly carry it out. For your sake, I won't curse you for making me do this." Enkidu sighed as he faced the teen.

"Then, can you make it swift?" Subaru asked him as he prepared himself, a small grin on his face.

"Rest assured, you will feel nothing. Now then, are you sure you want me to do this?" He asked one last time.

"Absolutely." The teen grinned.

"Then it was nice working with you, Natsuki Subaru. You have my thanks and gratitude." Enkidu bowed.

"No problem, just behave yourself after I'm gone yeah?" Subaru gave a thumbs up with a short smile.

Within a split-second Enkidu morphed his hand into an energy blade and swung horizontally in one fluid motion. Slicing straight through Subaru's neck, he lobbed off the head to one side while the body collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap.

For a while, there was nothing but silence again. And during that short moment of peace, Enkidu simply eyed the dead body of his previous Master. While there was nothing more he could do, the Servant simply put on a small smile.

"Good grief, I have to admit you're quite dumb at times Master." Enkidu sighed as he felt his anchor to the world collapsing. "With that said, I hope you succeed with whatever plans you have." He smiled happily.


End file.
